Each year, tens of thousands of road accidents occur in the UK and across Europe. Governmental bodies and highway authorities exist to make the roads safer but are resigned to the simple fact that each driver has the responsibility to their own vehicle each and every time they enter a car. Researchers at LeaseElectricCar.com published a study in mid-2022, delving into some of the most common reasons for road accidents. It reveals a lot about how avoidable most accidents can be, and how we can protect ourselves against them with a few simple actions.
Excessive Use Of High Beams
The risk of using high beams in what may already be poor conditions is obvious. Dazzling drivers coming towards you not only endangers them but also increases the chance of your vehicle being involved too. Immediate steps to improve this would be to practice and remind yourself of turning off high beams when an oncoming vehicle is spotted and only applying them in poor lighting. Being caught in an accident due to someone else using high beams is an example of driver negligence, in that they can be held legally responsible for your injuries.
Lacking Legal Knowledge
This is an additional dimension to road accidents as a whole, but understanding your legal rights if a road accident occurs is important. Many solicitors include detailed guides to the many nuances that can occur within a road accident. McGinley Solicitors, as an example of the specialist solicitors who cover these kinds of claims, examine the relevance of an offending driver being uninsured or on a job at the time of an accident in their guidance materials.
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Lack Of Indication
Not using indicators correctly or at all is a recipe for disaster because it places potentially several of road users in jeopardy, and is beholden to your decision-making on the road. A rule of thumb in driving is to assume every driver around you is a poor one, to make yourself more cautious. Indicators are one of the dew tools you have to make obvious changes of position and direction on the road when accidents are most likely.
Misusing Lanes
The Irish Times published a piece explaining how overtaking lanes on the motorway are so tempting to use for miles at a time, with increased room to move and go faster, which makes them such a common reason for accidents. However, misusing them or lingering on them for too long can cause serious issues when other drivers need to use those lanes. Motorways are not the location of the most accidents, but due to the high speeds involved, can often feature the most serious accidents. Therefore, drivers must understand the laws and rights of their vehicles when using them.
Beyond these four common mistakes, many others exist. What’s notable is that while these incidents are common, even something as mundane as a poorly angled wing mirror could cause an accident, and it only takes one obvious error to cause one. Understanding the things to do after an accident occurs is useful to ensure just outcomes for a victim, however, if you take anything from this article, it’s this: We each have to drive as if we are the most conscientious driver on the road. Only then can we create a highway system that will actively reduce preventable accidents.
