An automobile accident is typically an unexpected and an unwelcome intrusion in any driver's life. Car accidents that are generally considered minor often involve automobile repairs of modest cost and do not involve personal injuries. However, far too many car accidents can result in serious personal injury and untimely death. It is not always possible to avoid a car accident, but there are some safety measures and driving techniques that any drivers can use that will help them steer clear of an automobile accident.
Believe it or not, over 90 percent of common automobile accidents are absolutely avoidable, if the driver knows the proper driving techniques. Some of the instances in which being educated enough to know what to do in such potentially disastrous circumstances such as intersection errors, driver inattention, following too closely, and vehicle malfunctions will help the driver completely circumvent collisions with little more than awareness, common sense, and precautionary measures.
Intersection errors make up approximately 23 percent of all fatal automobile crashes, according to the Federal Highway Administration. More than half of all fatal and serious injury crashes occur at intersections. The best way to avoid an accident at an intersection is to look around carefully and always proceed with caution when at an intersection, even if you have the right of way.
If you pay attention to your own driving, you can avoid accidents that often occur due to inattention. For example, not using your cell phone while driving, and keeping conversations with passengers to a minimum will help you avoid accidents that are often caused by careless inattention. Road conditions and traffic conditions change from day to day and area to area, so making sure that you are alert and capable of responding to the unexpected is the best way to avoid accidents that are often the result of driver inattention.
According to the California Department of Motor Vehicles, most rear-end accidents are caused by tailgating. Keeping a safe distance between your vehicle and the motor vehicle in front of you is paramount in avoiding accidents caused by tailgating. In order to avoid hitting the car in front of you, you should maintain a 3-second following distance from the car in front of you, except in hazardous weather conditions where you should maintain at lease a 4- or 5-car following distance.
Vehicle malfunction is another major cause of car accidents. Scheduling and performing regular and periodic vehicle checkups should include a check of wiper fluid, wiper blades, brakes, and tires to help avoid any accidents that may occur due to worn or defective parts and less than adequate amounts of proper fluids.
Dangerous road conditions are also a major cause of motor vehicle accidents and can often be avoided by learning the proper driving techniques to use when faced with ice, snow, rain, or fog. These driving conditions necessitate slower speeds and extreme caution if you want to avoid an accident.
Driving at an unsafe speed, according to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, is "estimated to be $40.4 billion each year." Driving at an excessive speed reduces reaction time and greatly increases impact and injuries. Bottom line -- don't drive any faster than the road conditions and speed limits permit.
Improper lane changes can easily result in an avoidable car accident. Before you change lanes, be sure to check all mirrors and signal long before you change lanes, while watching for other vehicles that are around you.
One of the best, easiest, and most common ways to learn some of the techniques that will help you avoid a potentially dangerous car accident is to take a Defensive Driving course. Defensive Driving courses help make any willing driver more competent, confident, and safe while on the road. These courses are typically offered through driver training and educational institutions. A Defensive Driving course typically includes information that will help a driver effectively manage obstacles and challenges that are often encountered while driving, such as how to effectively react and avoid an accident during emergency braking situations without losing control of your vehicle. These educational courses also typically include introducing the students to steering techniques that will help them safely compensate for over- and under-steering when cornering at high speeds or swerving to avoid obstacles. You may also learn additional accident avoidance maneuvers, such as how to competently drive in low-visibility environments such as dense fog and night driving. Evasive maneuvers and counter-measures for carjacking, vehicle pursuits, ramming, roadblocks, and ambushes, as well as both forward and reverse 180-degree turns, are also often taught in a Defensive Driving course. Learning when, and how, to initiate aggressive and pro-active offensive driving techniques, which effectively remove you from the danger of a pursuing aggressor, or safely remove the threatening aggressor can help the driver avoid an accident.
