Being a driver is quite a life-threatening career or act if you do it for fun. Driving on a road with other drivers means putting your life in the hands of those drivers. While every driver should think along this line and protect himself and others, some drivers do not even care about their own lives. The lives of their fellow drivers too don’t matter.
How To Stay Safe
Unfortunately, you cannot pinpoint these reckless drivers and ban them from using the roads. Therefore, you must devise effective strategies that can help you manage these drivers and still save your life and that of your passengers. Defensive driving is the only sure way to keep yourself and others safe on a road with reckless drivers. Reckless driving poses a threat to everybody: how to stay safe:
Keep Off Distracted Drivers and Distracted Driving
Many accidents today are caused by distracted drivers. This is common among teenage drivers and youths. In-car wifi systems, theatre-style entertainment systems, and smartwatches distract many young drivers today and end up causing accidents. Sadly, most reckless drivers care a lot about what they are holding on their hands and what’s on their dashboards and less about the road and other users.
You must therefore avoid texting while driving. Avoid picking calls while on the road. If you have urgent calls to make or answer, take a break off the road and get back once you are done. Statistics reveal that when you drive while texting you increase your likelihood of causing a car crash by 23 times more.
Therefore, in case you are a passenger and the driver is driving while texting and he causes a car crash, you can sue the driver. Immediately after the car accident, car accident lawyers at the Butler law firm recommend that you approach a Georgia car accident attorney whether or not you have an insurance cover. Such an attorney can guide you on where to get treatment and pay later when you will have received compensation for your damages.
You should also stay away from distracted drivers. Be quick to identify drivers on their phones or any other form of distraction. As a keen driver, you can also tell a driver is not concentrating by the way their car is moving. Let such cars move farther away from you and raise an alarm immediately. You can warn the distracted driver and all the others who are near the distracted driver so that they can be on the watch.
Stay away from drivers who are needlessly changing speeds, and those going slower or faster than the recommended speed limits amidst traffic. Be careful with drivers who stop longer than the required amount of time at traffic light stops or at any other stop signs. If a car is unpredictably weaving on the road, perhaps the driver in it is not paying attention. Similarly, if a car is not maintaining the lane, the driver in it is most likely distracted and can cause an accident any minute.
Keep Away From Intoxication
Drunkenness and drug intoxication also encourage recklessness. Therefore, if you notice any of these signs, give such drivers a very wide bandwidth or slow down to let them go ahead of you. Alternatively, you can speed a little and let them drive behind you. Keep away from these drivers as much as you can to reduce your risk of being a victim of their recklessness.
Avoid Tailgaters
If you notice a driver that’s cruising so closely behind you, keep a distance or let them overtake you. You should be suspicious about why they are doing that. Perhaps they have wicked intentions that you should stay safe from. Some of them could be joking with you but it’s still a risky type of fun. Remember that when you are in such a situation, these drivers who are tailgating and texting while driving, may not have enough reaction time in case you break. The least that can happen is an accident.
You may not control such a tailgater driver. However, you can mitigate the dangers they risk causing you. Therefore, do not slam on your brakes. It can be very tragic for all the parties involved, yourself included. So breathe in and sigh. Keep your focus and attention on the wheel. Pay much attention to the road ahead but stay aware of the danger that lurks behind you. Always let such a driver have their way as they do not readily give up.
Always be defensive while driving. Assume that all the other drivers are reckless and you are the only sober one. Therefore, do not compete with tailgaters. Keep a big distance between you and distracted drivers. Avoid distracted driving and driving while you are drunk. Alcohol and any other form of intoxication can make you reckless.