Three Mistakes Drivers Make That Put Them At Risk of an Accident- Are You Guilty of Them?
When you’ve been driving for a while it becomes second nature. You know exactly what you need to do to control your car, you have plenty of experience in dealing with all kinds of roads and situations and you generally feel like a safe and competent individual on the roads. This is fantastic- however, one problem to getting to this stage is you can become a little sloppy. Because you’ve never had an accident it feels like you never will. You’ve got your shortcuts, cheats and bad habits when it comes to driving that you continue to get away with despite not being great practice. You can generally become a little complacent, which isn’t good news with driving since you really do need your wits about you at all times. Here are just three mistakes drivers make which increase their chances of them having an accident, do you make any of these?
Not Checking Their Car
Cars are sturdy machines that are built to last, but as with anything parts can and do go wrong. Sometimes this is unavoidable, a part will wear out and need to be fixed there’s not much you can do about it. However at times, skipping on general maintenance can be to blame. There are a number of fluids under the bonnet of your car which need to be checked, they’re simple to keep an eye on and in most cases you just have to check that they’re between the minimum and maximum lines on the containers. But if you run out, it can cause serious issues. If you run out of oil for example, your engine will seize up almost instantly. Even silly mistakes like running out of fuel can be a huge issue. If your car stops it could leave you in a vulnerable position, whether it’s at a busy junction or island or on a fast moving road. Another car could easily go into the back of you and cause damage or injury that was totally avoidable. Not checking the tyres is another problem. Legally you should have 1.6mm of tread, if your tyres are balding you could break the law and put yourself at risk of blowouts or skidding. Many of us are so used to our cars we hop in without even thinking, but regular checks are essential. Before long journeys particularly you should be checking fluid levels, lights, wipers, petrol and tyres to make sure that everything is in order.
Driving With Bad Habits
Most of us pick up some bad habits over time when it comes to driving, we can all get a little sloppy and not follow the exact procedures we were taught to pass our test. But sometimes these bad habits can be particularly problematic, to the point that they’re downright dangerous. Car injury lawyers such as Salvi, Schostok & Pritchard P.C. have to deal with the consequences of these behaviours all the time, where drivers neglect and carelessness can cause injury and loss of life. It could be driving over the speed limit, not using signals correctly, taking unnecessary chances or not checking mirrors properly. Next time you’re out of the roads, be aware of these kinds of things and get yourself back into good habits. You might have got away with your driving up until now, but it only takes once and you could cause a serious accident over something that could be avoided.
Getting Distracted With Technology
Technology can make our lives better in many ways, and a leap in technology has generally made our cars safer to drive. However it can go the other way too, and sometimes technology can be the reason behind crashes and accidents. The law on driving and mobile phones does vary from place to place, in the UK you’re not allowed to even touch your phone while you’re driving it has to be in a cradle and used completely hands free. In other places in the world you’re allowed to hold the phone and talk while you drive but not text. Your best bet is to not use your phone at all while you’re driving so your attention is solely on the road. The same applies to sat navs, program your journey ahead of time so you don’t have to touch it when you’re driving and risk taking your eyes off the road. Technology is great and safety features like lane change assist, parking sensors and more can make our cars and roads safer than ever. But do your bit, keep off your phone and other gadgets and concentrate on what you should be doing in the car.
