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Common traffic accidents and how to avoid them

28th September 2021 Print
damaged car

Driving is a daily activity for millions of people around the world. Whether you live in a big city or a rural town, you likely use your car to get to work, to visit your family, or to take a vacation trip. Every year, more and more cars are purchased and more people drive. Unfortunately, this leads to accidents. 

It almost seems like accidents on the road are unavoidable, but they don’t have to be. With the right concentration and care when driving, you can ensure that you are a safe driver. You can’t always be sure everyone else is being safe, but you can at least make yourself a safe and cautious driver. Let’s take a deeper look at traffic accidents and how they can be avoided where possible.

Accident Stats

In Australia, there are thousands of car accidents per year. It is estimated that there are 32,000 non-fatal injuries on the roads every single year in this country. Sadly, over 1,100 people are killed on the roads each year. That is over 3 people per day. This may not seem like a huge amount, but it is certainly a number that everyone would love to see reduced. Compared with the wider world, Australia’s numbers are not terrible, sitting 15th in the table of safest OECD countries to drive in. Worldwide, an average of 18.3 people per 100,000 are killed on the roads each year, Australia has an average of 5.4. 

Who Can Help?

Regardless of how safely you drive, road accidents do still occur. Sometimes it may be your fault, sometimes it may be the fault of another party. Whichever applies to you, car accident lawyers will be able to help. These lawyers will be specialists in the field of automobile accidents, meaning they are best placed to help you get through the situation.

After an accident, your legal team will help you build an evidence-based case to ensure you get any compensation and insurance payouts that you deserve. They will seek help from police, witnesses, CCTV, car data, and more to ensure they build a strong case in your defense. In most cases, these lawyers work on a no-win, no-fee basis. This means you can sit down with a legal team, discuss your case, take it to court, but still not pay a penny if you do not win compensation. If you do win, the legal team will recover the costs from either your compensation or the opposition party. If you do ever have an accident, reach out to a specialist lawyer right away, as they will give you all the expert advice you need.

Drunk Driving

One of the biggest causes of injury and death on the road is drunk driving. This is a problem worldwide, though it is worse in some countries than others. Alcohol is widely known and proven to be an inhibitor of senses and reactions. This means that any dangerous situation on the road could both be spotted too late and reacted too slowly, leading to nasty collisions and bad injuries.

As a driver yourself, the most simple way of avoiding this kind of situation is to avoid alcohol entirely before driving. Often people think they can manage a drink or two and still be ‘safe’ or ‘legal’ to drive, but the best advice is to not drink at all. There are hundreds of great alcohol-free choices for a night out, so stick to those if you’re driving home.

smashed windscreen

Tired Driving

 

Tiredness is just as dangerous as being drunk, believe it or not. Being tired also massively slows reaction times and can even cause you to fall asleep at the wheel, which is never going to end well. Sometimes it is necessary to drive at night or for long distances. If this is the case, ensure you take breaks every hour or two to refocus, eat, hydrate, and sharpen up. If at any point you feel too tired to drive, take an extended break and sleep - there is simply no safer thing to do.

Driving Too Fast

Speeding is one of the most common causes of accidents. Even if you are awake, sharp, and sober, you can still cause dangerous accidents by driving too fast. Once again, you are shortening any potential reaction time when speeding, therefore causing dangerous situations. Stick to the speed limits. They are designed for a reason, as they are proven to reduce risk on any particular road.

Intersection Accidents

Crossroads, T-junctions, and any other kind of intersection can be a leading cause of accidents. Usually, it is not a poorly designed road that causes the incident, but instead is a lack of concentration or understanding on the part of a driver approaching the crossroads. Make sure you understand how to give way, where to stop, and who is right of way it is on any particular junction. 

Rear-End Collisions

Following too closely is a leading cause of accidents on busy motorways and main roads. Being too close - once again - reduces the amount of time to React should the driver ahead swerve or brake suddenly. This means that if they do stop quickly, you’re probably going to hit them from behind. The golden rule is to stay a two-second gap behind the vehicle in front, meaning any landmark or sign they pass, you should be passing two seconds later. This gives you enough time to react.

“These Things Happen”

Too often people suggest that road accidents “just happen,” but clearly, many of these situations can be avoided. Keep your eyes on the road, concentrate, and don’t impair your ability to make judgments. Doing this will keep yourself and others on the road safe. Unfortunately, you can’t account for everyone else’s driving, but you can at least make sure you are safe.

Accidents will happen. But, with the right preparation and concentration, you can stop yourself from becoming the cause of an incident. Should an accident occur, you should quickly reach out to a specialist lawyer to make sure that you are not punished, but are instead rewarded, for driving safely.

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damaged car smashed windscreen