You’ll meet a road accident at least once in your lifetime. They’ve become an everyday occurrence. In fact, some of the latest car accident statistics put the average number of car accidents in the U.S.A alone at 6 million yearly with over 90 deaths daily. At least 3 million people in the U.S.A get an injury from car accidents alone.
No one likes the thought or the sight of an accident, especially the more serious ones. Road accidents happen a lot, but people hardly learn from the mistakes that lead to these accidents, and as such the accidents seem not to reduce. Safety measures aren’t usually heeded even though everyone is aware of them and all the general rules of the road.
You’ll see that most of the road accidents are human-caused. From overspeeding to drunken driving, phone distraction, red light jumping, lack of use of seat belts and helmets as well as non-adherence to driving lanes or wrong overtaking, a lot of people carelessly abandon the road safety guidelines. The only way out of accidents is to learn from past mistakes and avoid a repeat of the causes. You must also drive or ride safely at all times.
Here are a number of common road accidents and what to do to avoid them:
Car Accidents
Car accidents are by far the most common types of road accidents. It could be as a result of the millions of cars browsing the streets all day long heading there and here. Some common car accidents are :
- Rear-end Accidents
When you drive in a huge traffic jam, you may end up running into the back bonnet of the vehicle in front if you are distracted or are driving up too close. This results in a rear end auto accident, and these accidents often occur when the rear brake lights of the ongoing vehicle fail or when they stop moving abruptly giving little or no room for the vehicle coming from behind. There could be other reasons. Hot arguments over who caused it ensues and when both parties fail to reach a consensus, a lawyer who specializes in auto crashes and personal injuries may need to be hired to settle things in court.
The way to avoid such collision is to always:
- Drive a safe distance away from the rear of the car in front so that you will have enough room to come to a safe stop rather than an abrupt too-late one. When you’re behind long vehicles like a trailer, you can think of doubling the length of the distance apart.
- Try to avoid situations that will make you use the brakes all too suddenly especially when you’re in those long California traffic jams. You could easily be hit by the oncoming vehicle if the driver wasn’t fully paying attention as well.
- Maintain full-time concentration, and not get distracted by phones, radio tuning, or car TVs. It isn’t ideal to take your eyes away from the action even for a second. The result of that could be a rear-end accident.
- If you feel sleepy or are drowsy or have used anything that makes you behave irrationally, go and park immediately.
- Stationed Car Accidents
When you park your car in a public garage, you should take steps to prevent it from being hit by other vehicles, and reduce the chances of a stationed car accident. Here are some things you can do to make sure of that:
- Try to park a good way off the busiest places in the parking lot. You’ll save your car from an avoidable accident and you’ll help other drivers avoid one too.
- Use the parking space appropriately; somewhere in the middle is better than positioning your vehicle very close to the parking line boundaries. You’ll save your car from getting hit by other drivers trying to pull into parking spots adjacent to your position. You’ll also save your car from those markings that happen when the doors from the other car close to you are opened wide enough its extremes touch your car.
- In case you’re parking on the street, avoid parking at intersections or turns or on driveways. Those spots are frequently used by other drivers, and they could cause unwanted scratches or even accidents.
Motorbike Accidents
Motorbike crashes are also among common road accidents. The best way to avoid them is to:
- Use a properly fitted recommended helmet
- Always ride in the direction of the traffic and observe the same traffic signs as vehicles.
- Drive only within the bike lane markings if available.
- Avoid driving or overtaking vehicles from their left.
Road accidents are unwanted and unplanned for but with the right knowledge they could be avoided. Make your plans right. Whenever you use the roads, always think safety.
