Rear-end collisions are one of the most common car accidents in the United States. You might think it is not much you can do to avoid being rear-ended by another vehicle, but you are wrong. Every car accident is avoidable if you are careful enough and know the right defensive driving steps.
While you cannot control what the drivers are doing, you can certainly protect yourself. Moreover, newer vehicle technologies allow people to receive warnings about collisions before they happen. If you were rear-ended by another driver and have acquired damages, consult with expert Bakersfield auto accident attorneys today.
How to avoid rear-end collisions
- Consider what the drivers behind you cannot see.
You must focus on the road ahead of you while driving in order to prepare for anything dangerous in time. However, it is equally important to consider what the other vehicles behind your car cannot see. They should have an idea of what is happening in front or what is about to happen. You can prevent vehicles behind you from rear-ending you in such situations by braking slowly or with plenty of roads to stop.
- Maintain a safe following distance.
You should always leave considerable space between you and the car in front so you can press the brakes on time. It will allow you to stop the car safely instead of suddenly hitting the brakes, possibly resulting in a rear-end collision. The National Safety Council suggests the three-second rule, which has the following steps:
- Choose an object on the road for a reference point, such as a tree.
- Watch the car in front of you cross the fixed object, and as soon as they cross it, count: one thousand one, one thousand two, and one thousand three.
- If you pass the object before your counting finishes, you are going too fast.
- If you pass it after counting, you are going at the right pace.
- Keep checking your mirrors.
The mirrors outside and inside your car are there to protect you solely from a rear-end collision. You should check your car mirrors every 6 seconds or when you stop and press the brakes. Watch whether the vehicle behind you stops at the same time you do. You should give them extra road space if it takes them extra time to stop.
Being involved in a rear-end car accident can be traumatic. In most cases, the vehicle at the back is at fault. However, there might be times when the at-front car is in the wrong. Hire an attorney in Bakersfield to determine fault.
