With a new year comes a new or renewed commitment to safe driving. Take steps toward preventing accidents by learning safe driving habits. By avoiding accidents, you’ll avoid lawsuits, increases in insurance rates, and protect yourself and other drivers on the road.
If you’ve been injured in an accident, make sure you discuss the matter with car accident lawyers. While you want to learn more to prevent future accidents, it’s important that you take fast action to avoid facing financial hardships from accidents that were not your fault.
1. Vehicle Upkeep
A great place to start in creating safe driving habits is doing regular vehicle upkeep. If your tires are worn out, you’re more susceptible to blowouts, which can lead to severe accidents because you lose control of your vehicle.
Making sure your engine oil is changed regularly can also prevent engine fires or breakdowns on dangerous parts of the road where other drivers don’t have enough notice to avoid a collision with your vehicle.
Good vehicle maintenance helps ensure that your car responds the way you expect it to. It will respond to common commands so you can stay safe on the roads this year.
2. Limit Distractions
Distracted driving is one of the leading causes of car accidents in the nation. In 2018, 2,841 people lost their lives because of distracted driving. While many people think of distracted driving as texting and driving, it can actually take many forms. Distracted driving includes:
- Eating while driving
- Changing the radio station, podcast, or another entertainment device
- Talking on the phone while driving
- Engaging in distracting behaviors with passengers
- Applying makeup while driving
Distracted driving is not just a problem with young drivers. Drivers of all ages have become more distracted as the pace of life has increased and people’s dependence on technology has grown.
When in the car, put your phone on airplane mode so that notifications and sounds don’t tempt you to pick it up. Keep passengers quiet as best you can and always focus your attention on the road when driving.
3. Always Wear a Seatbelt
In 2017, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration estimated that seatbelts saved the lives of 14,955 people. But only about 90 percent of vehicle passengers wear their seatbelt. If everyone did wear their seatbelt, another 2,549 people could have been saved in 2017 from fatal accidents.
Make a habit this year to always wear your seatbelt, regardless of how far you’re traveling and whether you’re the driver or a passenger in the vehicle. While no one plans to be involved in a car accident, a seatbelt can be a life-saving device should you have the misfortune to face an accident.
4. Never Drink and Drive or Drive Drowsy
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, “In 2016, 10,497 people died in alcohol-impaired driving crashes, accounting for 28% of all traffic-related deaths in the United States.”
But alcohol isn’t the only culprit in preventable accidents. Driving drowsy or under the influence of drugs is also a serious risk factor for being involved in a car accident.
Make a commitment now to never drive after drinking and make plans for a designated driver before drinking with friends or family. You can help protect your loved ones by having important conversations about drinking and driving. The same goes for driving drowsy. It’s best to encourage loved ones to spend the night and begin their journey in the morning if it’s late or they’re feeling tired.
5. Consider Road Conditions
Driving at night or during bad weather can increase the likelihood that you’ll be involved in a car accident. Instead, do your best to drive during daylight hours. If you can, avoid driving during heavy storms or when the roads are slick with rain, ice or snow.
Sometimes, trips in less-than-ideal travel conditions are absolutely necessary. If so, use caution and drive slowly to prevent accidents.
Hiring Car Accident Attorneys in Florida
Safe driving habits can help prevent car accidents and ensure you don’t face insurance penalties for poor driving behaviors. You’ll also avoid the headaches of getting your car repaired after an accident.
If you’ve been injured in a car accident, know that you have options, especially if the insurance company is giving you a hard time about paying your bills. Get in contact with car accident lawyers immediately.
Goldman & Daszkal has assembled a team of trusted lawyers you can turn to after a car accident. They’ll provide confidential advice and help you recover from your car accident. No matter how committed you are to safe driving practices in the new year, you might still face a car accident due to someone else’s negligence or lack of safety practices.
Schedule your free consultation with the car accident lawyers at Goldman & Daszkal today.