Most people accept driving and car ownership as parts of modern life. Some enjoy it, while others look at it more as a necessary evil, particularly if they’re not very confident drivers. Reluctant motorists often bring up car accidents if you ask them why they don’t like it so much.
Sacramento saw 3,543 car accidents in 2023, and if you look at the stats for other large cities, they’re often similar. Many times, a car accident won’t result in any injuries, or it might cause a few bumps and bruises. However, some crashes have much more devastating and even permanent results.
In this article, we’ll talk about some driving scenarios that often cause car accidents. As a driver, you should know to either avoid these situations or to exercise extreme caution if one arises.
Sometimes, you must drive in bad weather. You might have to get out there on the road in the snow, heavy rain, fog, sleet, hail, or heavy wind.
It is obvious why more car accidents occur in such conditions. You usually can’t see as well if there’s snow or heavy rain coming down. Foggy conditions mean you probably can’t see more than a few feet in front of you, even if you have your brights on.
If you can avoid driving in such conditions, you should probably do so. You can stay home if you have some errands to run that can wait until later. You might also consider taking public transportation if that’s an option. Many cities have buses or trains, and you should strongly consider utilizing one of those instead of driving if you know there is bad weather coming.
You might notice a lot of car accidents happen at intersections. Often, that is because a driver might try to catch a yellow light before it turns red. If they don’t make it in time, though, and the light turns red when they’re still in the intersection, a car coming from a different direction might hit them if they don’t see the vehicle in time.
You might also see accidents in intersections sometimes because someone doesn’t know how to behave when they’re turning left. If you have a driver who needs a green arrow to make a legal left turn, they might try turning left when they have a green light in their favor, but not a green arrow.
In such an instance, you don’t have the right of way as a driver. The drivers coming at you straight from the other direction have the right of way. You must wait till there’s no one coming from the other direction before turning left. If you try to turn left when there’s no green arrow, then you caused that accident, not the other driver.
You should approach every intersection with these facts in mind. Don’t try to speed up to get through yellow lights. It’s better to stop and wait for the next green light. As for turning left, only do so if you have a green arrow, or wait till there’s no one coming from the other direction.
Road rage incidents happen often when you’re out on the road as well. If you know that you sometimes feel angry when someone cuts you off in traffic or when another driver does something equally annoying, you might try meditation or taking a few deep, cleansing breaths before you get in the car. If you have a tendency to become enraged when you’re driving, you need to reevaluate your priorities.
Someone might do something that makes you upset while you’re behind the wheel, but blowing up at them won’t do you any good. If you start screaming or gesturing at them, you never know if they will pull out a weapon. Some drivers even have guns in their cars, and people die following road rage incidents sometimes.
Tailgating can easily cause an accident. The term means you’re riding someone’s bumper. If you’re behind a car on the highway and it’s driving slowly in the fast lane, that might frustrate you. However, if you start laying on the horn or gesturing, the driver might panic and do something unexpected.
Instead of tailgating them, try to pass them on the right the first chance you get. Much like road rage incidents, you can control your actions in these situations. Drive defensively, and don’t cause a crash because you lost your temper.
Speeding causes many accidents. That’s because if you’re driving over the speed limit, you can’t control your vehicle as easily. If you’re driving 30 miles per hour, you can pull to a stop much faster than you could if you were going at twice that speed. You should remember that when you are on the highway or local roads.
When you speed, you might get to your destination faster, but you’re also risking your life and that of the drivers, cyclists, and pedestrians around you. By slowing down a little, you’re keeping yourself safe, and you make a fatal crash far less likely.
Consuming alcohol before driving kills many individuals every year in America. Doubtless, you know you’re not supposed to drink and drive, but maybe you feel like if you have just a couple of beers, it’s no big deal.
If you drink any alcohol at all, it’s best not to drive. If you must go somewhere, have someone else drive you. You can also call for a taxi or an Uber instead.
You might also cause an accident if you drive after using drugs. Marijuana has gained legal status in several states, but it is an intoxicant, and you should not indulge before you drive. That means ingesting edibles as well as smoking it. You should also avoid driving if you’ve taken any prescribed drugs that might make you dizzy or sleepy.
By staying away from these activities, you can often avoid accidents.