Nobody wants to get into a fender-bender, let alone an injurious auto collision.
Interestingly, if all New Jersey drivers followed the safe driving advice that you’ll see below, the vast majority of injurious and fatal collisions could be avoided. At the very least, you can follow these tips and possibly bypass an injurious collision:
- Enter traffic slowly: Don’t rush into traffic. Look once, look twice and then look again before you enter the roadway.
- Look out for red lights: Red lights are great for controlling traffic, but deadly collisions happen when people don’t see them. Keep a look out for red lights, and also watch for other drivers who might accidentally drive through one at intersections.
- Don’t drive with your knees: This seems obvious, but many drivers risk taking their hands off the wheel. When you do this, you might be able to drive in a straight line, but you’ll have slower reaction times and less control of your car if you hit a pothole or get hit by a wind gust.
- Keep your eyes peeled for kids: Children act in unexpected ways. If you see them slow down, give them lots of space and be attentive and ready to take evasive action.
- Do your maintenance: A properly maintained car is better capable of stopping, steering and avoiding a collision.
- Keep a lookout ahead: Scan ahead of your vehicle approximately 12 seconds in front of you. This will give you more time to avoid a collision.
If you take the above six safety precautions, you will avoid the threat of many kinds of auto collisions. In the unlikely event that you do get hurt in a crash — even though you tried to be safe — you might want to investigate whether you can pursue a claim for financial damages in New Jersey civil court.
Source: EHS Today, “Ten Ways to Avoid Car Accidents,” accessed Nov. 03, 2017