Do you remember the first time you got behind the driver’s seat of a car? Were you in driver’s education class with an instructor, or were you getting lessons from one of your parents? You probably drove very slowly and were extremely cautious. Ironically, the more time we spend behind the wheel, the more we take the process for granted, which can lead to becoming less cautious.
A survey conducted by insurance companies found that the average driver will file a collision claim once every 17 years. In West Virginia, the U.S. Department of Transportation found that in 2024, 779 motorists were involved in non-fatal crashes. That averages out to around 2 accidents every day.
The most effective way to avoid a car accident is to never drive in a car, but that is not practical. What can work is understanding the common causes of car accidents and being proactive with your driving habits to help avoid them.
Rear-End Collisions
A rear-end collision can be a minor tap in heavy traffic that gets your attention but doesn’t cause any damage. It can also be a major collision that wrecks the front and rear of a car and triggers airbag deployment.
This type of accident is also one of the easiest collisions to avoid. This is what you need to put into action:
Extend Your Braking Distance
If you’re close enough to read the bumper sticker on the car in front of you, you’re probably driving too close. You want to apply the three-second rule for your ideal braking distance. When a vehicle in front of you passes a fixed point like a mile marker, you should slow down and give yourself three seconds before you pass the same marker.
That might not seem like a long time, but it will provide you with enough braking distance to come to a sudden stop without hitting the car in front of you. Once you apply the three-second rule a few times, you’ll be able to judge that braking distance.
Watch Out Behind You
While you’re focused on the road ahead (as you should), you don’t want to keep your eyes off the car behind you. If they are following too closely, you can try to move up to put distance between you and them. If that doesn’t work, consider changing lanes and letting them pass.
Don’t Get Distracted
Once you’ve created the perfect braking buffer zone, you want to stay focused to maintain that distance. A momentary distraction caused by looking at your phone can force you into a sudden stop that becomes a rear-end collision. You can also be distracted by drinking, eating, smoking, adjusting the radio, talking to passengers or looking for something that fell are other types of distractions you want to avoid.
Avoid Drowsy Driving
Nodding off when driving is a quick way to slam into the rear end of another car. Driving drowsy can also have the same impairment as if you were driving drunk. If you’re tired, pull over and rest. It can also help to stretch and get something to eat or drink.
Parked Car Damage
Not every accident happens when you’re driving. Consider this accident reported on by WCHS. One night, a speeding car in Charleston ran into multiple cars as it went down one street. That would be a horrible thing to wake up to. This is how you can avoid parked car damage:
Choose Distance
When parking in a lot, the preferred choice of many drivers is to get as close to the door of their destination as possible. The better option is to park farther away in a space that isn’t surrounded by other cars. That will significantly reduce the risk of being hit by opening car doors. It’s also good exercise.
Park Inside the Lines
If you’re in a parking lot space, be sure that you’re parking inside the lines. That might require repositioning your car until you get it right. If the space is too compact for your car, you need to consider another spot. If you have trouble getting out without hitting another car, the other car owner will be in the same situation.
Park in a Garage
The safest spot for your car is your garage. The next safest spot is your driveway, which is off the street. If your garage is overflowing with storage items, you might want to devote time to clearing space for your car.
Park Smart
If your travels involve parking on a street, avoid parking near busy intersections. You also don’t want to get too close to a driveway, as you may not know how big the car that has to get into that driveway is.
The idea is to put your car in a safe place when you’re not driving it.
Park street-smart. Avoid parking near busy intersections, tight turns, and driveways. Other drivers may not see your vehicle and could side-swipe it when passing by.
Single-Vehicle Crashes
Single-vehicle crashes happen when you lose control of your car and slam into something that isn’t another car. You might swerve to avoid a car and crash into a guardrail. You could also make the same sharp turns to avoid hitting animals or debris in the road. That is certainly an issue on many rural roads across the state.
This is how to avoid getting into a single-vehicle crash:
Adjust for Bad Weather
Every West Virginia driver needs to learn how to drive on snowy and icy roads. Even one inch of rain can create conditions for hydroplaning. If you’re driving in bad weather, you need to slow down and stay focused on the changing road conditions.
Stay Focused
When you get to the rural roads and seem like the only driver, you can’t let down your guard. Without lights on an unfamiliar road, things could change quickly. That includes animals darting out in front of you.
Intersection Crashes
Intersections are ground zero for many collisions between cars. This is where traffic rules such as speeding and not yielding to the right of way get broken. To avoid these types of collisions, you need to be especially vigilant. Start with the concept that you don’t know what the other driver is up to. In other words, don’t assume that the car approaching the intersection will follow the rules.
You are better off yielding to other cars instead of guessing their intentions. That is especially true at traffic lights that go from green to yellow. That is not your indication to speed up to make the light. The few seconds you might save are not worth the damage caused by the accident you could get into.
Backup Collisions
This is another common crash cause that can be avoided with defensive driving. If you are packing out of a spot, be sure to take in the surrounding environment before getting into the car. If there is a lot of traffic, it will not automatically slow down.
You can’t anticipate the other driver’s actions in this situation. For the record, any car in motion driving past the driveway has the right of way. Even if you start to inch out, you can’t commit to pulling out unless the approaching cars completely stop and let you out.
Of course, utilizing safety features such as a backup camera is the best option to keep you safe.
If you are still the victim of an accident after all of this careful driving, you can share your store with the DiPiero Simmons McGinley & Bastress, PLLC team. We are experienced attorneys who have helped clients receive compensation for all kinds of car accidents. You should be rewarded for your good driving, not punished by a negligent driver.
