Accident Prevention |
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Mervyn Rees
29 August 2008
Being involved in an accident is every motorist's worst nightmare. Statistically speaking, the longer you drive the more likely you are to have one. It doesn't really take a rocket scientist to work that one out though, does it?
An accident can be anything from bending a bumper/fender to a serious collision causing injury, or worse. Simply because the statistics may predict it'll happen to you sooner or later, that doesn't necessarily mean it's a foregone conclusion.
So as to help avoid these predictions, you do have to be proactive, and by taking some simple precautions, the risk can be reduced considerably.
The number one cause of all traffic accidents is speeding.
A motor vehicle travelling at high speed is an incredibly dangerous machine, which is precisely why speed limits are posted and enforced all over the world; and as much as we sometimes like to believe it, speed cops aren't out there because they have nothing better to do. . .
They are protecting the public from themselves and the dangers of other reckless drivers.
By maintaining safe and controlled speeds, you can greatly minimize your risk of being involved in a serious car accident. . .
Apart from the fact that you may get to your destination a few minutes earlier, there are no good excuses for speeding, but there are many against.
It's not just good driving practice to slow down, it will save cash on fuel, the price of your insurance, or perhaps even worse, the loss of your precious Driving License; and if that's not bad enough, it's also better for the long-term maintenance of your vehicle as well as being better for the environment.
I'm not preaching, just laying out the facts, for there but for the grace of God go I!
Maintenance
Keeping your vehicle in good running order is another excellent means of reducing your risk of an accident. Every car's maintenance manual includes the recommended time lapse between inspections. Regular maintenance and checkups will ensure your car is running at peak performance, and will certainly assist in the prevention of any general or specific breakdowns which could lead to a possible parts failure, which in turn may cause you to be involved in an accident.
Car safety is such an important aspect of driver awareness; it's precisely why so many countries and insurance companies require new drivers to complete a safety course prior to authorising a license to operate a motor vehicle.
The more knowledge drivers have about the necessity for safe automobile practices; including the regular maintenance of the vehicle, the less likely they will be to allow their car to lapse into a poor state of service and repair, thus increasing the likelihood of either a breakdown or worse still, an accident.
By insisting on such knowledge being taught, as part of all new drivers' driving tuition and experience, the better the chances that this vital information will stick throughout the whole span of the driver's history.
Barring that, just stay the heck out of my way!
Defensive Driving
This essentially means staying highly aware of other drivers and vehicles in relation to your own, as well as diligently following the rules of the road and maintaining your own safe driving standards.
Often taught as part of a pre-licensed driving safety course, it is all designed to increase the ability of all drivers to be alert to possible driving hazards, such as road obstructions, bad driving habits of other motorists, and to maintain a regular routine of adherence to motor vehicle laws.
As I taught my own youngsters years ago, "Expect a lot of drivers to be idiots"; and they won't let you down!
Thanks to the Internet, much of the information can now be gleaned online, thus offering more drivers than ever before a chance to familiarize themselves with these extremely important concepts.
Defensive driving is often taught through both in-class and on-road practice, with the idea being that the driver becomes more attuned to recognizing potential driving problems, and so establishes safe driving habits.