How To Avoid Traffic
Accidents
Speed is a major factor in many
accidents. Driving too fast for condition of the road, weather, vehicle
or driver increases your chances of having an accident. Reduce
speed during adverse weather conditions. Rain, ice, sleet, snow and
otherwise poor road surfaces can increase your stopping distance
dramatically. Add worn tires or brakes to this and the distance
increases further. Poor driving skills on top of these other factors
can make the situation almost impossible. Keep your vehicle in good
condition. Worn tires and brakes can decrease your ability to control
the vehicle under emergency stopping and turning situations.
Replace windshield wipers regularly and keep the windshield
washer full and in operating condition. Dirty or muddy
water splashed onto your window can cause a "blackout" for
several seconds while you locate and activate the washer.
Be familiar with its location and operation so that you may use it
quickly and without taking your eyes off the road.
Wear your
seatbelt. It will hold you in place during violent maneuvers. You might
do an excellent job of recognizing a hazard suddenly appearing in front
of you, realize there's no time to stop, make an abrupt turn to the
left, and then find yourself thrown all the way to the passenger side
of the vehicle. What do you do then? You brace yourself for
the accident your going to cause trying to avoid the first
one! There are many other sudden happenings that can cause you
to thrown around inside of the vehicle, and once that happens you're
no longer in control. You become just another passenger along for the
ride. Speaking of passengers; buckle them down too. Flying passengers
can injure or kill you as well as themselves. Get a physicist to
compute for you the effective weight of your 175 pound passenger when
he hits you in a 30 MPH crash! It'll scare you!
Stay away from
other vehicles! That may sound silly, but most accidents involve two or
more vehicles. Try not to be near those who are looking for a place to
wreck! Don't tailgate and don't allow others to tailgate you. If
traffic conditions are light (you L.A. folks won't understand
this) try not to drive beside other vehicles. They'll always swerve
right into you when they try to dodge that dog or cat in the road! If a
vehicle next to you is struck by another vehicle, he could be pushed
into you. If you're not in "downtown" traffic, and can do so, spread
out. (I know you L.A. people are saying "what planet is this guy
from?") Intersections are the favorite meeting places for cars
and drivers looking for a place to crash. Always check cross traffic
before starting out on a green light. Someone is always trying to get
the last part of that yellow light.
Stay away from 18-wheelers at
all times. Always avoid being on the right side of one, especially near
places where the truck driver might want to make a right turn.
Large tractor-trailer rigs must, by the nature of their size,
make wide right turns. That is, they cannot make a right turn from
the right lane like smaller vehicles. This maneuver may give the
appearance of an open lane available for use by an unsuspecting person
not seeing the truck's turn signal. Many a car and driver has been
crushed by the trailer and wheels of those large rigs. Another hazard
of those big trucks is retread tires coming apart on the highway. Have
you ever been beside one of those big rigs when an old retreaded
tire decides to blow? It'll get your attention fast! It can cause
some drivers to change lanes or slow abruptly. If you're on a
motorcycle you could be seriously injured if you are close behind or
beside on of these rigs when a tire blows. We've all seen those tire
remnants scattered about the highway so be aware that it happens quite
often.
All vehicles come from the factory with "blind
spots" installed free of charge. Know where yours are and
always check them before making a lane change. Remember; you
can't check them with mirrors. That's why they're called
blind spots. You'll have to turn around and actually look.
Don't ride in the blind spots of other vehicle. You're just
asking for trouble if you do. Parking lots are one of the
best places to find a fender bender. They're a good place to
have your head on a swivel. Vehicles seem to come out of nowhere in
a mall parking lot and you'll have to be constantly looking left and
right if you want to stay out of
trouble.
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