Keep Your Eyes Scanning the Area Ahead
A helpful way of avoiding accidents while driving is to always keep your eyes scanning the area ahead. The idea, which is nothing new, is that you should give special attention to all of your surroundings, looking for ways to avoid accidents and unforeseen hazards, such as children in the roads or other potential hazards. If you are truly interested in avoiding accidents, the first step is to put away all distractions and focus on the road. Below are pro tips to avoiding accidents by scanning.
Scanning for Hazards and Movement
You can best avoid accidents by predicting when an accident will occur. While you might not be able to see into the future, you should always be scanning the road for hazards and movement. When driving down the road, keep your eyes moving in and take in the whole scene. Your eyes are very good at spotting movement, including other cars, people walking, and small children. This helps you look for other objects and people that could pose a danger.
Scanning also entails looking in mirrors to see what is happening behind you. If you have a tailgater, try to keep extra distance between you and the car in front of you so they do not rear-end you. If you can, move to another lane. It may be annoying or frustrating, but being a bigger person can reduce accidents. In addition, you also want to look at the drivers to the side of you. What are they trying to do? Are they looking to change lanes? Are they trying to merge onto a freeway? Don’t rely solely on your mirrors. Keep using your eyes to scan all around you.
When you scan for hazards, you can also see road signs that might alert you to a problem ahead. Is there an accident or road construction ahead? Do you need to change lanes or take a detour? If so, start planning now. Don’t wait until the last minute like many drivers, and then end up in a road rage situation.
Avoid Tailgating
Scanning for hazards also means avoiding tailgating. If you’re too close to other vehicles, you’re not able to see in front of you as well. This means you don’t have enough space to stop suddenly or switch to another lane. If you think you might be following too closely, use the three-second rule. When the car in front of you passes a traffic sign, for example, count “one-one-thousand, two-one-thousand, three-one-thousand.” If you pass the same sign before you are done counting, slow down because you are following too closely. Allow even more room if you are driving on wet or icy roads.
Get in Touch with a Las Vegas Car Accident Attorney
There are a number of actions you can take to avoid accidents, and scanning the roadway when driving is among that list. Make sure to continue reading this series for more suggestions for how to avoid car accidents. It isn’t always possible for you to control the actions of other drivers on the roads, and if you sustained injuries in an accident in Las Vegas, the lawyers at Naqvi Injury Law can help.