The open road is something a lot of people dream about being on, with their windows or sunroofs open and the wind in their hair. Cruising down back lanes and taking in the sights on a summer’s days is often the picture we see in our heads when imagining going on a road trip, and we rarely think of how dangerous taking to roads we don’t know with such a relaxed mood can be.
Driving is one of the most dangerous things a person can do in their lifetime, and yet the activity is treated completely mundanely. After all, you cannot operate on the road without a kind of insurance to protect both you and anyone else driving alongside you. And yet, with insurance premiums growing higher and higher each day, it’s becoming almost impossible to keep a car running for the average household. So there’s a huge investment to be had there
Not Spotting a Motorcycle
It’s dangerous to be on two wheels when you’re on the road, as people in four wheels or more are always going to be on the lookout for similar vehicles to them, and thus you may fall under their perceptive radar. Of course, anyone who is an experienced driver is going to be able to keep it in the back of their mind to look for you as well, but accidents can always happen because of the habit we get into when we’re behind the wheel.
It’s very likely that someone on a motorcycle is going to come out the other side of an accident badly injured compared to someone in a car or a truck. Because of this, motorcycle accidents are always amongst the top spots in any automobile lawyer’s portfolio, and if you’ve been involved in such a situation recently, the smartest thing would be to contact one.
Someone Not Wearing Their Seatbelt
Thankfully, at least 90% of Americans believe in the value of a seatbelt and use them, but that still leaves another 10% who are far more at risk of a crash being fatal because of their disbelief in a seatbelt’s stopping power. Indeed, in 2015 seatbelts saved almost 14,000 lives. If you don’t have your seatbelt on in a vehicle that provides them, there’s a good chance you shouldn’t be on the road.
People like to cite seatbelts as being uncomfortable or needed when it comes to the effects of a crash, but these claims are entirely unfounded and completely untrue. If you haven’t got a seatbelt on, you’re in a lot more danger than anybody else on the road with you, and you could very well go flying through the windscreen when you’re not wearing one at the time of a crash. Compare this to staying intact inside the vehicle with only a bit of whiplash if you do have one on.
Not Taking the Weather into Account
When there’s snow or ice on the road, you need to slow down. When rain is pelting it down and you can’t always see clearly out of your windscreen despite having wipers at full blast, you need to slow down. Being a mindful driver means taking every condition known to man into account when you make your decisions on the road that day, and being mindful of how other drivers can react in the same situation. You’re going to need to be able to slow down a lot faster than usual when your tire traction is down, and creating the space between you and another vehicle is the only way to do this.
Of course it’s not up to you whether somebody else is driving too fast for the conditions on the road, but that doesn’t mean you should follow suit. So slow down, put more distance between you and other cars, always use your turn signals, and always check your mirrors.
Are You a Safe Driver?
A lot of people like to think they are, but when it comes down to it, a lot of people make a lot of questionable decisions when they’re behind the wheel. Always make more of an effort to get to your destination in one piece, and even take a refresher course if you can’t remember some of the rules you learnt in your driving lessons.
The most dangerous parts of the road can be right around the corner, so always anticipate them, and never get behind a wheel when you’re feeling anything but confident about your ability to drive safely.
