How To Protect Yourself And Your Passengers When Driving

If you have a car, the chances are that you drive almost every day. You might commute to work, you might drop your kids off at school, you might drive around to do household chores like grocery shopping, and this doesn’t even account for vacations, trips, and other activities. 

This is part of the reason why car crashes are one of the leading causes of fatalities and injuries. We spend so much time in cars that it’s easy to forget that they’re heavy, powerful, and potentially very dangerous machines. This can lead to distracted driving or simply not realizing how risky a situation might be.

So, how can you protect yourself, your car, and your passengers from potential risks on the road?

Be Aware Of Dangers

You can’t protect yourself from a danger that you can’t sense. So, if you want to be safer when driving your car, you need to become more familiar with the potential dangers that you’re going to face. This way, you’ll be able to prepare yourself and deal with them as and when they crop up.

Check The Weather Conditions

One of the biggest dangers that people encounter is one that they can’t prevent or really do much about. Nobody can control the weather. Poor driving conditions have a massive impact on visibility and your ability to stop your vehicle. 

So, check the forecast for when you’re going to leave and come back. Conditions like rain, fog, and ice all make it more difficult to drive safely. If the weather is extreme, like a storm or flooding, consider staying inside and not risking it at all.

If you are driving in poor conditions, make sure to factor in the increased difficulty of being safe. Drive more slowly, so that if you have to brake suddenly, you can slow down much more quickly. Learn how to drive on a wet road, as reduced traction can make you more likely to crash.

You also need to think about the things you can’t see and be even more aware of other drivers, cyclists, and pedestrians. 

Keep Your Car Maintained

The state of your car can make it more or less safe to drive. Car breakdowns can cause crashes, especially if you break down on a busy road and come to a sudden stop, or if a part of your car suddenly stops functioning, such as the brakes. This can make you lose control of your vehicle, which can lead to an accident.

Sudden breakages and failures can just happen, but most of the time, they are the result of a problem that wasn’t fixed. So, if you notice small changes to the drivability of your car, get them checked out. Minor problems will only get worse if they are left alone.

As well as getting your car checked if and when you’re worried about it, you should also get it seen on a regular basis. Depending on where you live, an annual MOT might even be a legal requirement, as this proves that your car gets checked and serviced at least once a year.

Servicing your car doesn’t just check for potential problems, but it also keeps your car in good running order. This makes your car safer to drive, and it can ensure that it lasts longer, which works out as much cheaper in the long run.

Defensive Driving

As well as your car and the weather conditions, another thing you need to be aware of is other people. Many car crashes are caused by human error. People might be driving while distracted, impaired, or they might simply make a mistake, resulting in an accident. You also need to think about pedestrians and, in some places, even animals that might walk into the road.

Unfortunately, you can’t change how other people drive or whether or not they decide to cross the road at a bad time. But you can control how you’re able to react to it.

When you learn to drive, you need to get a license to prove that you’ve legally passed your test and that you’re a competent driver. You can also take an advanced driving course, which teaches you how to drive defensively. This essentially means that you’re more able to prepare for potential accidents and react in a way that preserves life as much as possible.

If There’s An Accident

Unfortunately, even if you’re as prepared as possible, accidents can still happen. So, what can you do if you’ve been involved in a car accident?

Immediate Actions

Straight after an accident, the immediate priority should be the safety of everyone involved. You need to get away from the vehicle and check that everyone is okay. If people are injured and can move, try to get them to safety. If someone is unconscious or can’t move, don’t move them. Spinal injuries are common and very dangerous.

Call emergency services right away. Police cars can control the scene, while firefighters can rescue trapped people and make sure the cars are safe. Paramedics can treat injured people on the scene and, if necessary, take them to the hospital.

Once everyone is safe and the area is more secure, you should think about your insurance. Take pictures or video footage of the scene and try to get the contact information of witnesses and other people involved in the crash.

If you have been injured, get it treated. This is important for your health, and it can help with insurance claims later down the line.

Facing The Aftermath

The injuries accrued in a car accident can be devastating. They can cause people to live with pain, lose their jobs, and even be left with mental health problems due to PTSD.If you were in a car accident that wasn’t your fault, you still have to deal with the aftermath. One option is to contact attorney Adam Kutner for a personal injury consultation, as you might have a case in court. This can help you pay for your medical bills, as well as compensate for any lost income or other issues caused by the accident.