Driver Safety: Tips to Reduce Motor Vehicle Accidents

Motor vehicle accidents claim the lives of individuals every single day - no matter what skill and experience they have behind the wheel. People also forget that driving is a privilege, not an individual's right.

The following are tips to help reduce getting into a motor vehicle accident:

Space It Out
For every 10 mph you drive, there should be a car length in between you and the driver in front of you. So, for example: 30 mph = 3 car lengths between you and the vehicle in front of you. Example 2: 55 mph = 5.5 car lengths in front of you.

This ideology/formula is keen when speaking of driving. There's always a chance that the driver in front of you may stop abruptly, causing you to read-end their vehicle if you're not the appropriate distance behind them on the road. Not only is this bad because it's a car accident in general, and that someone may be injured, possibly fatally, is that you are legally at fault for the collision.

Also, do not tailgate or cut other drivers off, as it can lead to road rage... our next topic.

Rage Mania
According to www.roadandtravel.com: "According to a recently released national survey, when a driver gets the finger, is cut off or tailgated, 50 percent of the victims respond with horn honking, yelling, cutting-off, and obscene gestures of their own.

The survey, administered by Response Insurance, revealed that 34 percent of drivers say they honk their horn at the aggressor, 27 percent yell, 19 percent give the finger back, 17 percent flash their headlights, and 7 percent mimic the initial aggressive driving behavior. Two percent of drivers admit to trying to run the aggressor off the road." (http://www.roadandtravel.com/safetyandsecurity/2007/road-rage.htm).

How bad do you want to try and push that 2%? I prefer my vehicle on the road while I'm driving, not forcefully run off.

Here's an example about a road rage incident here, a sad case in which one person ended up being killed (CBS News). The aggressor in that incident was found guilty of not murder, but manslaughter - sentencing her up to 20 years in prison.

Traffic Purgatory
When your vehicle is not in motion (i.e. at a stop sign or at a red light, ect), I consider your vehicle in "traffic purgatory". At this point you should generally not be held accountable for an motor vehicle accident. But still, there is are additional steps that you can take to keep your vehicle (and yourself) increasingly safe.

-When you're coming to a red light and you're behind another vehicle, stop about 1 car length or so behind them. You should be able to see the other vehicles back tires, and have some additional distance cushioning. This is so if someone hits your vehicle from behind, your vehicle may not hit the vehicle in front of you. This, ultimately, can help A.) Lower reparation costs, and B.) Decrease the amount of total injury sustained - if any at all.

-When you're stopping at a red light, stop a few feet in front of the stop line. If someone hits you from behind at a busy intersection and you're the first in line to turn, a situation can become deadly if your vehicle gets hit out far enough that there can be a potential collision.
As you can tell that there are many additional steps that can be taken to drive safely. On a further note, never drive under the influence of alcohol or any illegal substance. Don't drive while impaired in any way. Do not drive while heavily consumed by drowsiness or sleepiness. Drive defensively, and responsibly.