Safety Tips That Can Help You Avoid a Collision

A collision is something most people don’t think about until it happens. Even if the crash isn’t major, an accident can have long-lasting effects on your financial, emotional, and physical health. Doctor’s bills, increases in insurance premiums, anxiety, and expensive vehicle repairs that are the result of a collision can be overwhelming to say the least. Unfortunately, not every collision can be prevented, but many can! The saftey tips below can help you avoid an accident altogether.

Stay in Your Lane- And Watch Others in Theirs

       According to the National Highway Transportation and Safety Association (NHTSA), in one-third of states, the main cause of fatal car accidents is failure to stay in your proper lane. Lane position is extremely important.  And important safety tip is that you should always keep your vehicle in the center of the driving lane and away from the outer edges. Changing radio stations, reaching down to pick up objects, and talking/texting while driving can cause drivers to drift into other lanes. So it’s always best to avoid these activities. Yes, Starbucks can wait.

auto stiegler team photo
driver view from the cockpit of a truck on the road

   Also, you should always remember to check your “blind spot” for other cars before switching lanes. Many accidents happen when merging drivers fail to notice vehicles already driving in the lane. Also be on the lookout for other merging drivers. If another driver is coming into your lane, slow down or move over to avoid the crash (if you can do so safely.) This driving tip alone, can save many a collision.

Yield to the Right of Way

       The number one cause of crashes in Arizona doesn’t involve proper lane transitions but instead, failing to yield. What makes these collisions different than other types of crashes is that the innocent party often hits the vehicle that fails to yield.

       Take this scenario for example: You’re on your way to work.You merge into a lane and continue on. Out of nowhere, another vehicle coming speeding across the intersection. You hit your breaks and try to stop the collision, but your vehicle collides with theirs. The other driver has failed to yield to the right of way and now you’re both in a mess.

       Just like with lane position crashes, distracted driving is one of the main causes of failure-to -yield collisions. Knowing who has the right of way can be confusing and requires your complete focus and attention. As a general rule, the first car to arrive has the right of way and all other drivers yield. When in doubt, yield, and also be on the lookout for drivers who are moving along when they really should wait.

Stay Focused

       This is probably the most important of the safety tips discussed. We all know that eating, drinking, texting, and setting the GPS while driving is dangerous, but we do it anyway because it’s convenient.  So many of the millions of crashes that happen every year could be avoided by being more cautious and focusing completely on driving while behind the wheel. It’s important to remember that it’s not just your well-being that is impacted by risky driving habits but also your passengers, other drivers, and their passengers, including small children who depend on us to keep them safe. To avoid distracted crashes, keep your eyes on the road and other drivers until you reach your destination or pull over if the call or text can’t wait.

 Our hope is that all of our customers can avoid collisions, but if you find yourself involved in a one,  please give us a call. Here at Orlando Auto Body we use genuine OEM parts and repair your vehicle to its pre-accident condition while treating each vehicle that comes into our shop as if it were our own.