You could find yourself driving in heavy traffic at any time of the day. For example, this is likely during your morning or evening commute. It’s also likely if you’re in close proximity to a construction zone.
Although you’re moving slowly, you’re still at risk of suffering an injury in an accident. Here are five things you can do to protect yourself:
- Pay attention: Even if you’re at a standstill, don’t let your mind wander and your attention move away from the task at hand. Pay attention to everything that’s happening around you, so that you can make adjustments that enhance your safety.
- Leave more space: There’s no good reason to position yourself a few inches away from the bumper in front of yours. Lay back a few feet to give yourself some breathing room. This helps prevent a rear end accident.
- Watch for reckless drivers: You may be taking great caution, but that doesn’t mean that other drivers are doing the same. You’ll come across people who are impatient, aggressive and reckless.
- Stay in your lane: It’s tempting to jump lanes in search of the one that’s moving fastest. This is particularly true if you’re running late. However, this greatly increases the risk of an accident. If you know what lane you’re supposed to be in, stay there until it’s time to turn or exit.
- Don’t engage with other drivers: For example, someone may yell at you because they don’t like what you’re doing. That’s okay. Don’t engage with them. Keep your eyes on the road. There’s no place for aggression when you’re operating a motor vehicle.
The unfortunate part about all this is that you don’t have any control over other drivers. You can do everything the right way, just to find yourself injured in an accident as a result of another driver’s negligence.
Should this happen, your focus should turn toward your health and obtaining medical treatment as soon as possible. After that, collect evidence pertaining to the accident, all while taking steps to file an insurance claim. In the end, you hope to make a full recovery while also holding the negligent party responsible.