Road safety is important for all of us to keep pedestrians, motorists, and passengers safe. Traffic accidents are common in many countries, and they are a leading cause of injuries. We can limit or avoid them if we drive carefully.
In a road accident, both pedestrians and passengers can be at a greater risk. Defensive driving practices can help keep us safe. It involves a driver thinking ahead about possible safety concerns and other problems while driving. A defensive driver avoids to text or talk on a mobile phone, and fully concentrate on driving. Drivers need to be familiar with the traffic rules and stringently adhere to them.
If you want to increase the chances to stay safe on the road, review the following safety tips for driving. No matter how skilled driver you are, it is good enough to reflect on the basics of traffic safety from time to time to make sure that you are responsible enough to keep yourself and other pedestrians and drivers as safe as possible.
1. Don’t Drive When You’re Tired
Dozy driving is a major problem all around the world. The danger, risk, and often severe results of drowsing driving is alarming. It is a combination of fatigue and driving. This usually happens when you have not slept enough, but it can also happen because of shift work, medication, and sleep disorder.
You may not know when sleep comes over your body, and falling asleep behind the wheel is dangerous. Being tired or sleepy can affect your ability to drive safely. It makes you less focused and affects your ability to pay attention to the road, affect your ability to make a decision, and it slows the reaction time if you need to steer or brake suddenly.
2. Follow the Road Signs
Road signs display for a reason.
Those who don’t follow the road signs are at a greater risk of an accident. You may also eye witness of many road accidents that occurred due to the negligence of those drivers that overlook the road signs.
Road signs provide valuable information to pedestrians and drivers. They represent the rules that are in place to keep all of us safe and help drivers and passengers to communicate to maintain the order and reduce accidents. Ignoring traffic signals and signs can be dangerous.
Most signs make use of images, rather than words so that they are easy to understand and can be easily interpreted by the people who speak different languages. You should know the meaning of each sign to stay safe on the road. Failing to do so could result in a fine or serious accident.
3. Wear Seat Belt
Wearing your seatbelt is an important safety tip for all drivers. Not only are you more at risk of getting injured in an accident if you are not wearing a seatbelt, you can also be fined for not doing so.
According to Road Safety in Queensland, those who don’t wear a seat belt are more likely to be injured or killed in a road accident.
According to another research (NHTSA), seat belt proved helpful to save over 15,000 lives in 2019. About 85% of Americans wear seat belts, yet some passengers and drivers don’t take the risk seriously and don’t wear seatbelts. Make sure to wear a seatbelt and remind your fellow riders too before leaving home so you can be safe while on the highway
4. Stick to the Speed Limit
It is your responsibility to follow the speed limit chart. The faster you drive, the longer it takes to stop. According to research, speed is one of the biggest factors involved in road deaths.
Lower speed limits reduce serious injuries and traffic fatalities. Driving at high speed can result in tunnel vision and decreased depth perception for the drivers. When one drive at lower speeds has a wider vision and are more likely to notice the other road-users.
Even if at lower speeds a crash does occur, its consequences will be less severe, especially if it involves a motorcyclist or a pedestrian. They have an 80% chance of survival if they hit by a car moving at 30 kmph.
5. Don’t Drink Before Driving
Safe driving requires alertness and the ability to make fast decisions in rapidly changing situations. As we all know, drivers use their eyes, hands, and feet to control vehicles but these organs controlled by their brains. Drinking alcohol can have negative impacts on one’s driving skills. For instance, a drunk driver is less able to focus and concentrate. Alcohol can slow down his/her reflexes, which can reduce the ability to react to changing situations. It can also slow eye muscle function and alter visual perception, possibly resulting in blurred vision, which can put a driver into severe circumstances.
Even different countries laws state that learner and probationary license holders must not have alcohol in their bloodstream while driving. It affects driving ability and increases the risk of fatal accidents.
6. Turn on the Headlights
It is obvious to keep headlights on at night, having them on during the day and evening can make it easier for other drivers to see you.
In some states, you are legally required to have your headlights turned on even in the day time. This is particularly helpful when the sun affects visibility. No doubt, you cannot control the other drivers on the road but you can make others see you before a collision takes place.
7. Stay Focused and Alert
Driving is chiefly a thinking task, and you have a lot of things to think about before starting drive including your position and speed, road conditions, observing traffic signals, signs, laws, following directions, road marks, being aware of vehicles around you, checking your mirrors and this list goes on.
Staying focused, and only driving is critical to safe driving. Distractions like eating or talking to someone, make a driver less able to see potential problems, and react properly to them. It is not only common among teen drivers; sometimes, adults also get overconfident in their driving abilities and let them sloppy. All drivers need to remind themselves that they have to be focused while driving in order to avoid accidents and stay safe on the road.
8. Put the Cell Phone Away
Both P drivers and learners are not allowed to use mobile phones while driving. The cognitive, visual, and physical distractions lead to unsafe driving and increase the chances of a crash.
Make sure to switch off your mobile and put it aside before starting the car. If you genuinely need to use your phone, stop and park the car where using a mobile phone is not dangerous for the rest of the drivers and yourself.
According to research, each time when you write and send a text while driving, your eyes are off the road for an average of 5.6 seconds, enough time to hit on an accident. Remind yourself it is your job to watch the road while driving, and no one else can do it for you.
9. Drive like a Patient Person
Many accidents occur on the road due to the impatient and aggressive drivers who are rushing to get from point A to point B. No doubt, time is a valid consideration when traveling, but safety is even more essential. After all, if you are involved in an accident, you will experience more of a challenge arriving at your destination on time than if you simply show patience while driving.
10. Be Prepare for Every Possibility
Before leaving home, you should be prepared for everything. Most of the time, some aggressive drivers can put you in a critical situation, so you should be ready for everything when you are on the highway. You should have all the emergency numbers to cope up with severe situations.
It is always wise to consider hiring a personal injury attorney when you are involved in an accident. Even if you or another person did not experience any severe injury, we still recommend you seek counsel. The existence of a personal attorney can reduce your stress level, help you to get a better settlement, take your case trail, and many more. So whether you have experienced any injury or not, it is wise to get in touch with a Los Angeles Personal Injury Lawyer.
11. Be predictable
It is essential to be predictable on the road to avoid accidents. Don’t suddenly change lane or stop your vehicle. Instead, make sure other drivers are likely able to predict your next action. Make sure to give indicators to other drivers so they can drive accordingly. This will also help to minimize road accidents and maximize safety.
12. Limit Distractions
Using a mobile is not the only dangerous distraction that a driver needs to avoid while driving. Eating, changing CDs, and interacting with other passengers are a few other examples of distractions that one should avoid when driving.
