Many of us have our first experience with tow trucks during an accident investigation. As they must clear the roads for safety reasons, undrivable vehicles are towed. This maybe due to extensive damage or trauma induced by the driver. Avoidance is much better than trying to deal with the aftermath of an accident.
How to Avoid Car Accidents
• Keep Your Eyes on the Road. There are statutes that make it mandatory to pay ‘due attention’ when driving. In car distractions are common causes of accidents. Operation of a motor vehicle is no place for multi-tasking. Pay ‘due attention’ to the operation of the vehicle only.
• Don’t Text & Drive. Cell Phones, illegal in most states to use a cell phone when operating a motor vehicle. You cannot drive and talk or text without losing your operational perspective during driving. Even hands-free phones still divide your attention between driving and talking.
• Dangers of Changing Radio While Driving. Do not change CD’s or operate the radio while motoring down the highway. Your visual attention shifts to the radio panel, pulling your eyes from the road. Use the radio. However, even music or talk-radio can offer its own distractions.
• Don’t Drink & Drive. If you are driving, do not drink alcoholic beverages, use recreational drugs or even prescription drugs that affect your physical and mental acumen. You can be held to task even for prescription drugs usage, particularly pain medications as most are opioids.
• Avoid Road Construction Zones. Easier said than done but attempt to avoid construction areas. All the barricades, cones and markers tend to be confusing and distracting. Even if you’ve got it together, it doesn’t all the drivers have. Look forward, look in rearview mirrors. Look left and right but keep an eye out for the “where did he come from”.
• Do Not Speed While Driving. Speed limits are posted for a reason. Hedging can get you into trouble, flagrant disregard of the posted speed limit is a recipe for disaster. Time is your enemy, reaction time actually. Two factors are present reaction time and physics. When stopping your brakes convert kinetic (energy of a moving body) to heat energy. The conversion is limited by the ability of the brakes to dissipate the heat, even with modern anti-skid disk brakes there are limits. The average reaction time is 0.25 seconds. At 60 mph you are covering 88 fps and assuming you are paying attention you will cover 22 feet during your reaction time and then you’re at the mercy of physics. High speeds and close-proximity leave little time for you to react and the physics to work in and on your behalf.
• Obey Traffic Rules. Stop completely at traffic control devices, red lights and stop signs. Obey yield and other instructive signage, it is there for a reason.
• Avoid Aggressive Drivers. Rule one; ignore them, rule two: stay out off their way. Distance is friendly and what ever you don’t react emotionally, no need to be a ‘jerk’, again easier said then done.
• Stop, Look & Listen when Driving. When pulling into traffic. Be aware of blind spots, especially changing lanes. Look both ways on right turns, just because you may have the right of way, does not mean other drivers are aware or in compliance. Remember that semi-trucks have a big blind spot on their right, so be cautious when driving on the right of a semi-rig.
• Count to Three on Green Light. Be cautious when entering the intersection on a green light, there are red light runners, give a slow three count be committing.
• Keep Hands on the Steering Wheel. One hand minimum but two hands is best. Ever blow a tire at speed, two hands are needed to maintain control.
• Watch for Kids when Driving. Young children are not fully aware and older kids may have an attitude, watch out. The emotional roller coaster of harming a child is devastating for most of us.
Towing, Roadside Assistance & More in Irving, Fort Worth, Arlington, Carrollton & Plano Texas
These are a few of the tips for safe accident and ticket free driving. Whenever you do need towing or roadside assistance, Speedway Towing and Roadside Assistance can assist. Call us whenever you get stranded or involved in a car accident for fast response.
