Baton Rouge Car Accident Repair: Five Safety Tips That Reduce The Likelihood Of An Accident

Editor's note: This post was originally published on April 2, 2015 and has been updated for accuracy and relevance.

As we move into the time of year where the temperatures creep up, people start to hit the road more frequently. Whether it be for a weekend getaway, or the family vacation, there are more motorists sharing the road, and more reason to ramp up safety. While we love our customers at Medines we value your safety even more and would prefer to see you avoid an accident in the first place. That is why we are sharing five tips to reduce the likelihood of an auto accident.

Reduce Distractions While Driving 

Distracted driving is the number one cause of accidents in America. All you have to do is look around at other motorists in your daily commute to understand why. On any given day, you’ll likely witness someone drinking hot coffee, eating behind the wheel, putting on make-up, or engrossed in conversation with another passenger. All of these things, and many more, take the focus off the road. There’s no guarantee that any one of them causes accidents, but the point to remember is that while you are experiencing your own little distractions, so is the motorist in the car next to you. Reduce your in car distractions as much as you can. Have a passenger handle the radio. Stop for your meals rather than eating behind the wheel. Create a checklist to make sure your kids have everything they need before you embark on your journey so you don’t have to fumble around looking for something in the backseat while you should be watching the road.

Don't Text and Drive

This falls under distracted driving as well, but since the State of Louisiana feels strongly enough to make texting while driving a separate law from distracted driving, we’ll make it a separate category also. While there has been heightened awareness in recent years to curb texting while driving, the number of fatalities continues to rise. In fact, the National Highway Safety Administration equates texting while driving to driving after having four beers. Even though the statistics show that texting while driving isn’t as deadly as drunk driving, it is narrowing the gap. The short and simple solution is don’t do it.

Obey the Speed Limit

The number two cause of accidents in America is speeding. More often than not, speeding comes with justification. How many times have you heard the question, “did you make good time?” There is a natural tendency to speed in order to reduce your time on the road, but is that effective?  Unless your trip is several hundred miles, speeding doesn’t reduce the time behind the wheel by a significant amount. In fact, the higher the speed limit, the harder it is to knock time off the trip. “

Drive Cautiously in the Rain

Rain has major negative effects on motorists. It is a visual impairment, causes hydroplaning, and affects the behavior of other drivers. There is nothing you can do about how other drivers are affected, but be aware of the possible outcomes. Some motorists drastically decrease their speed and ride their brakes when they see the first drop of rain.  A reasonable reduction of speed in the rain can reduce your risk of hydroplaning. As for visual impairments, make sure to change your wipers out as recommended and make sure your headlights are working at their optimal level.

Don't Follow Too Closely While Driving

Tailgating is not in the top 10 when it comes to causes of accidents, but eliminating tailgating makes our list of tips to reduce accidents because tailgating is often a factor that when coupled with the other items on our list makes an accident more likely. When you a tailgating another vehicle, the time you have to react to what that vehicle does is reduced. If they brake for any reason, you will have less time to react. Whether it be a traffic jam, an object in the road, or any other reason for them to slow down or stop, you should always want to maximize your window of opportunity to react. The general rule is to allow ten feet or one car length of space between you and the vehicle in front of you for every ten miles per hour you are driving. So, if you are traveling at fifty miles per hour, five car lengths should be a safe buffer.

No one can guarantee that you will never be in a fender bender, but following these tips is a good start to being be proactive in avoiding an accident.