It’s interesting to consider how safe our nation’s roads could be if all drivers followed the rules of the road. In fact, there are certain things that — if all drivers did them or stopped doing them — would exponentially reduce the risks associated with driving.
Here are four things that every driver should do to dramatically reduce the risks of car accident deaths and injuries in Washington and the rest of the nation:
Keep your car in good repair. If your brakes aren’t working properly or the vehicle needs other repairs, chances are good that it is not as safe as it could be. Cars with good brakes stop faster, just as good steering and fresh tires make avoiding obstacles easier.
Keep yourself in good physical condition. If your eyes are bad, and you haven’t gotten new glasses in a while, you’re less capable of seeing what’s going on around you in the road. If you’re tired or fatigued, your reaction times will be slower. Keeping your body in good condition is essential for driving attentively and avoiding crashes.
Put your smartphone out of reach. There are many distractions inside a car, from the air conditioning to the radio. By far, the worst of them is your smartphone. Put it out of reach and you may save you and other people’s lives.
Drive defensively and follow the law. Simply put, aggressive drivers who ignore the road rules cause accidents. Make sure to follow the law.
Even if you are doing all that you can to drive safely and are following the above rules, you can still get in a crash caused by a negligent or unlawful driver. If this happened to you, you might be able to pursue claims for financial justice in court.
