Anyone can be involved in road crashes irrespective of their driving skills or road awareness. Remaining vigilant on the road and avoiding factors that could cause road accidents can save you from being involved in one.
A report by the World Health Organization (WHO) discovered that road traffic crashes are responsible for the death of about 1.3 million people yearly.
According to a car accident lawyer Orange County at The Barnes Firm, it is vital for drivers to abide by traffic rules because not being at fault during a road accident will make it easier to win a claim.
Below are some factors that could increase the risk of road crashes and how to handle them.
Driving Under the Influence
Driving under the influence implies a vehicle driver is drunk or intoxicated by drugs.
Psychoactive substances like alcohol, marijuana and heroin can interfere with how the brain interprets situations. Typically, your sensory organs, such as eyes, skin and nose, relay information to the brain, after which the brain processes it and then communicates to the required body parts how best to react to the received intel.
For instance, when your eyes sight an oncoming vehicle, the information is relayed to the brain, which then instructs your feet on the pedals and hands on the steering wheel to maneuver the car away from the oncoming vehicle.
When under the influence, your vision can be blurry and even when your eyes sight the fast-approaching car, your brain may interpret it different such as signifying the car is far away and urge you to increase the speed instead.
This is responsible for the death of 32 people in the United States daily.
Avoid driving whenever you take alcohol or drugs. It does not matter how much you drink.
Unvaccinated for COVID-19
Scientists are inquisitive, and most of the time, they discover things where many of us are not looking. This is one such case.
A study published in the American Journal of Medicine discovered that vaccine hesitance is linked to traffic safety.
The main claim of the study is not that if you do not get vaccinated, you might be involved in a road crash; instead, it discovered a psychological pattern.
The link uncovered the risks associated with decision-making. People who are less likely to get vaccinated will most likely violate traffic laws.
Surprisingly, the younger participants between 18 and 39 years old made up most of the unvaccinated group.
Nighttime driving
Driving at night is not a violation of the law, however, for your safety, you may want to avoid it.
Night vision becomes poorer with age. People who are aged 50 may need twice as much light for clearer vision, whereas people who are 30 years old and below may have no problem.
Also, you are likely to come across a drunk driver at this time of the day. It is also common to have a tired driver on the road at this time. A survey by the National Sleep Foundation reported that 60 percent of adults have driven while tired.
Likewise, a survey by the Centre for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) discovered that 1 in 25 adult drivers fall asleep behind the wheel in a month.
If you have to drive at night, do not Overspeed; keep your focus on the road and avoid two-lane highways.
Distracted driving
Distracted driving is engaging in activities that could take your mind off the road. Even though this may include texting, watching videos and receiving calls, distracted driving could be caused by getting absorbed in your thought.
It is one of the leading causes of T-bone collision, an accident where the front of a car strikes another on the side.
A report by the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS) noted that side-impact accidents were responsible for the death of 23 percent of vehicle occupants in 2020.
Avoid anything that could distract you when driving. If you need to make a call or text, find an appropriate space to park.
Over Speeding
We all live in a competitive world where you have to overtake others directly or indirectly to get what you want and protect your possession.
This rule does not apply on the road. Even though it is not illegal to overtake a car on the road, it should be done with everyone’s safety in mind.
Road crashes are usually faster for faster cars. Even when you are driving the fastest car on the road, abide by the speed limits. There is a reason they are stipulated.
This is vital if you are driving in a rural area. There are more animal crossings, poorly lit roads, and unpredictable weather conditions.
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