How Is Your Driving?
Did you know that over 1 million deaths occur annually because of traffic accidents? That's an average of over 3,000 deaths a day. An additional 20-50 million are injured or disabled. These deaths and injuries are also costly. As an example, in the USA, the motor vehicle accident average costs are:
$1,130,000 per death
$61,600 per nonfatal disabling injury
$7,500 per property damage crash with injury
You can help to save lives and money while on the road by following the these 5 tips:
1. Use your turning signal. That lever on the side of your steering wheel is not for decoration. Use it, and use it often! Failure to use a turning signal is the leading cause road accidents with nearly 2 million occurrences annually. You can avoid contributing to this number by using your turning signal. It does not matter if you are turning onto a new street or changing lanes, it is the best way to let other drivers know what your intentions are.
2. Beware of Blindspots. Every car has an area where you cannot see others in your immediate field of vision or by using mirrors. Over 800,000 road accidents result from drivers forgetting about these blind spots. You can avoid such accidents by following two basic rules:
Look over your shoulder before changing lanes.
Be aware when you are in another driver's blind spot. Generally, a car length between you & the person in the next lane is the safest bet.
3. Do not follow too closely. This practice is not only illegal in most jurisdictions, it is one of the leading causes of accidents. A general rule of thumb is one full car length for every 10 mph (15 kph) driving speed - double for wet conditions.
4. Use mostly the middle lanes when driving on highways. This is the safest place to be for the following reasons:
The passing lane is for passing. This is the left lane in most countries (right lane in the UK & former British colonies). If you are getting passed in the passing lane, MOVE OVER! You are probably upsetting every driver behind you and encouraging drivers not to follow point #3.
Entry & exit lanes are for entering & exiting the highway. Do not be that person who gets into that awkward "speed up or brake" dance with other drivers as they attempt to leave or exit the highway.
5. Slow down! How often have rushing drivers sped passed you only for you to catch up with them at the next traffic light? Even on highways, driving 75 mph versus (55 mph) saves fewer than 3 minutes on a 10-mile trip. As a general rule of thumb if your average trip is 5 miles, every 12 miles over the speed limit you save only 30 seconds. With such high risk and low result, speeding is a waste of time and a burn on the wallet if you get caught.