Unfortunately, it’s a given that drivers are going to cause car accidents every day. There are millions of them throughout the year, annually resulting in around 40,000 fatalities. And many more people suffer injuries in accidents that they survive.
This means that your safety is dictated by the drivers around you. Even if you don’t make a mistake, they may. That’s why defensive driving is so important on the modern highway. Here are some things to keep in mind.
Anticipate mistakes
The goal of defensive driving is to acknowledge that other drivers will make mistakes. If you can anticipate them, you can often avoid a crash. For instance, you can anticipate that someone who is weaving through traffic may change lanes without using their signal. You also know to be extra wary when someone ahead of you is turning left because these drivers cause a high proportion of accidents.
Stay alert
Defensive driving also requires the driver to be alert and attentive. Don’t drive when you’re overly fatigued, and don’t let yourself become distracted behind the wheel. If you’re focused on the traffic ahead of you, it’s a lot easier to spot potential accident risks.
Be prepared to react
Identifying the risks is only the first part of defensive driving. You also need to be prepared to react as quickly as possible when something unlikely happens. Keep both hands on the wheel and make sure to adjust your chair so that it is easy to reach the brake pedal quickly.
Defensive driving can help you avoid an accident, but it doesn’t guarantee it. If you get injured by someone’s negligence, be sure you know what legal options you have.