Driving is never guaranteed to be completely safe and accident free. Your local auto shop would go out of business if none of us ever had accidents! Year round, we all need to remember that we are putting ourselves in a large piece of metal that is traveling at high velocity. Should we hit another driver, or should another driver hit us, if we skid and roll due to black ice, or even if we are in a minor fender bender because a tree suddenly appeared in the middle of the road, our cars will definitely be damaged, and so will the driver and occupants of the vehicle.
Your car service in Fort Collins does not want to see anyone get hurt. They can easily repair or patch up damage to your car, but would prefer you simply don’t experience any kind of car accident at all. In the event of an accident, hopefully the injuries and vehicle damage are minor.
Here are some pretty simple tips designed to make driving at any time more safe. these are all very practical, and will aid in cutting down potential car accidents. The objective of these safe driving tips is to keep the driver more prepared. This means allowing yourself more response time, as well as altering your driving habits during certain conditions.
Don’t Drive High, Drunk, Or When Your Too Tired.
The number one cause of accidents is an intoxicated driver. This is usually alcohol, and if convicted of drunk driving, the individual will end up spending around $5,000 in various fees, mandated classes, court costs and will have to get an Ignition Interlock. The drunk driver will lose their drivers license as well. This does not count any restitution to the people affected by the drunk driver or any potential lawsuits. Drunk driving will put you in jail, cost you a tremendous amount of money, and leave you with a criminal record.
The number one way to avoid accidents is to only drive when you are sober and alert.
If you are too tired, you don’t have an adequate amount of attention to drive safely. If you’re tired, distracted, or sick, get someone else to drive you, or call a taxi. The inability to give the proper attention to driving is greatly diminished when you’re either sleep deprived, on sedative medication (including many sinus and cold medicines), distracted by physical pain, or emotional upset.
Bottom line is just stay away from the steering wheel when your mental acuity is diminished. Again, a lack of alertness and an inability to focus properly and be attentive on the road is the number one cause of car accidents.
Give Yourself Some Space.
Response time is improved if you put more space between your car and the cars around you. We all need that extra reaction time should a car in front of us suddenly hit the brakes, veer off the road, or get hit by another car. This is why we often see multiple car pile ups during bad weather. The drivers you were too close to the car in front of to have adequate reaction time to stop. Likewise with the cars behind. Smart motorist.com recommends a 3 second rule:
Three-Second RuleFor These Conditions>GoodBadSpeedDistance TraveledSafe interval should be >3 seconds6 seconds25 m.p.h.37 ft. per second111 ft.222 ft.35 m.p.h.52 ft. per second166 ft.312 ft.45 m.p.h.66 ft. per second198 ft.396 ft.55 m.p.h.81 ft. per second243 ft.486 ft.65 m.p.h.96 ft. per second288 ft.576 ft.75 m.p.h.111 ft. per second333 ft.666 ft.
Watch Out For Other Drivers.
Also know as defensive driving. Be very aware of the people around you and what they are doing. This means assume every other driver is either drunk, not paying attention, or an outright idiot. Be prepared for the unexpected and unpredictable.
Be a defensive driver by simply using every tool your car provides to visually see what other drivers are up to. Use your rearview and side mirrors to keep an eye on other drivers. Look slightly further ahead as you drive. This means not simply focusing on the car right in front of you, but looking ahead to see what curves, lights, signs and other cars you will soon approach so that they are clearly visible to you. A good rule of thumb is to be visually aware of what’s around you within 50 to 100 yards, depending on visibility and conditions.
By looking further ahead and around, you give yourself greater response time to react. And, the more time you have to react to anything from an elk on the road to an erratic driver, the less chance you will end up in an accident.
People really do crazy things. It can be due to irresponsibility, or their own reaction to a road hazard. Sometimes they will just stop there cars in the middle of the road for absolutely no reason. They could pull over without using their turning lights,or suddenly swerve to avoid an animal in the road. Other drivers will break traffic rules as well. they could become ill while driving. They might drive right through a red light, back out of a parking spot without looking behind them, or simply just go to fast for safe driving.