According to the ASIRT, over 38,000 people in the USA die in traffic accidents every year (the most of any high-income country) and 4.4 million people are hurt badly enough to need medical attention. You can’t control the recklessness of other drivers, but you can reduce your driving risks by following these safety tips.
Maintain a safe following distance
Tailgating is a major cause of accidents because drivers often follow other cars too closely. If the driver in front of you slams on their brakes for any reason, you need to be able to make a complete stop before coming into contact with them. Keep at a minimum 3 seconds worth of distance between you and them, and 4 or 5 seconds is even better while driving on the highway or if the road is wet. You can estimate this by watching the car in front of you passing a fixed object (like a road sign) and counting how long it takes for you to pass that object.
Forget 10 and 2
Many of us were taught to drive with our hands at 10 and 2 (as visualized on the face of a clock). This advice comes from an era before power steering (when you needed a lot of leverage to turn the wheel) and modern airbags. Now, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration and others recommend you hold your hands lower at 9 and 3 or even 8 and 4. This is to avoid your arms getting in the way of an airbag deploying. Read more about NHTSA’s steering techniques.
Follow speed limits and don’t run red lights
Nobody likes being stuck at a red light, but no one likes being plowed into because they ran a red light. Also, after you’ve gotten a couple speeding tickets like I did in my younger years, you’ll realize speeding definitely doesn’t pay off. If you have somewhere to be, try to leave early, so you don’t have to rush and have a buffer if you run into traffic. Or realize that sometimes being a bit late isn’t the end of the world.
Eliminate distractions
We’ve all seen ads warning about the dangers of texting while driving, but there are plenty of other things that could potentially take our mind and eyes off the road. Some examples of distracted driving include: Fiddling around with your car stereo or GPS, speaking to others in the car or on the phone, grooming, searching for something in the vehicle, daydreaming, eating, or simply taking in the view.
Keep up with car maintenance schedule
Follow the maintenance schedule included in your car to ensure proper performance. Especially make sure your brakes, lights, and tires are good. If you hear your brakes grinding or squealing you should change the brake pads ASAP (letting this persist can even damage your rotors) and you should ideally change them when they’re around 4 mm thick (grinding typically occurs around 3 mm). Keep your tires well inflated and make sure you have enough tread. If you have any lights out, be sure to replace them (a lighting issue may also be a blown fuse, a switch, or wiring).
Look out for signs
This one’s pretty straightforward. Look out for signs and do as they say. If you want to brush up on some of the more obscure signs, check out this site.
Look out for crosswalks and bikes
Bikes should be on the right side of the road (just like any other vehicle)… but not all bikers obey these rules. I’ve almost hit a bicyclist because I was making a right-hand turn, and they were illegally biking towards me in the left lane, so that’s a potential situation I try to stay aware of. Also be mindful of crosswalks and courteous to pedestrians. There are different laws in different states, but here in Nevada, you must yield to pedestrians in or near your lane.
Don’t blind drivers with high beams
If you’re following within 300ft of another car or there’s a car approaching in another lane, switch to your low beams to avoid blinding other drivers.
Buckle up
If it isn’t already, make this an ingrained habit. As soon as you sit in your car, put on your seat belt.
Don’t drive while impaired
Obviously, don’t drive while under the influence of drugs or alcohol. But also don’t drive while tired (even with the aid of caffeine). If you’re sleepy, pull over and take a break.
Use turn signals effectively
Unless you’re involved in a cinematic high-speed chase, giving other drivers information on what you’re doing is never a bad thing. You should signal at least 100 feet before making a turn when on surface streets, or on the highway, at least 300 feet when changing lanes or exiting. But be sure not to signal before another chance to turn. Otherwise, you may cause confusion and have someone pull out in front of you.
At A and H Insurance, we want you to avoid accidents, but we’ll be here for you if they occur. We are an independent agency that quotes through multiple insurance providers to find you the best coverage and rates for auto, home, renters, business, and more. Give us a call today at 775-829-2600 or request a quote through our website.
Do you have any safe driving tips we didn’t mention? Let us know on Facebook.
More Sources:
https://www.dmv.org/travel/driving-etiquette-safety-tips.php
https://www.idrivesafely.com/defensive-driving/trending/right-way-use-your-turn-signals
