The Importance Of Learning About Car Accidents
Learner drivers are expected to know all the basic of driving a car. They go through lots of different lessons that teach them everything from the theory to the practical side of things. However, I find that there are often many things left off the teaching syllabus. These are things that some driving instructors deem unnecessary to teach, or just not essential for learners to know about.
One of those things is knowing how to handle yourself after a car accident. In some respects, you can see why people don’t teach this. After all, if you’ve been taught how to drive properly and safely, then you shouldn’t ever end up in accidents. But, this doesn’t account for all the other stupid people on the roads that might cause accidents. In fact, it states here https://www.driverknowledge.com/car-accident-statistics/ that around a third of all car accidents are caused by reckless drivers. Thousands of people get injured every day thanks to other drivers, so you never know when it can happen to you.
As such, I think it’s very important for everyone to learn more about car accidents; what causes them, how to avoid them, and what to do if you end up in one. So, I’ve put together a guide that aims to explain all of this, and maybe even a little bit more. Read on for all the information you need about car accidents.
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What Causes Most Accidents?
We’ve already touched upon one of the main causes of car accidents; reckless driving. But, many other things come to the fore and cause problems on the roads. For one, speeding is a massive cause of accidents in every country. Funnily enough, in most statistics, this doesn’t come under the heading of ‘reckless driving’ even though it is categorically reckless. This is mainly because reckless driving just refers to people overtaking when they shouldn’t, turning when it’s not really possible, and just generally taking too many dangerous chances on the roads.
Along with both of these, we have the big category of distracted driving. Now, there are many ways people can get distracted while driving, and texting is one of them. As it mentions here https://www.cbsnews.com/news/why-so-many-people-text-and-drive-knowing-dangers/, around three-quarters of people admit to texting while they drive. This takes their eyes off the road and leads to a higher chance of accidents. Talking to other people or doing your makeup while driving are two of the other main causes of distractions.
Then, you have drink driving and driving under the influence of drugs. These are massive causes of accidents, and they usually result in the most serious accidents too. Finally, another main cause of accidents is driving while tired.
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How Can You Avoid Accidents?
Some accidents are almost unavoidable when they’re not your fault at all. However, you can go a long way to ensuring you don’t cause accidents by avoiding everything mentioned above. Stop being distracted while you drive, follow the rules of the road, so you aren’t reckless, never drive under the influence of alcohol/drugs, and avoid driving when you’re feeling tired.
Other than this, you should just try and remain alert and cautious at all times. I forgot to mention bad weather conditions in the cause of accidents, so I’ll touch on them now. If the weather is bad and it’s very wet or icy, then you have to drive more cautiously and be more aware of your surroundings to avoid accidents.
What Do You Do If You End Up In A Car Accident?
Of course, no one wants to end up in a car accident, and they’re never planned. As a result, many new drivers are left stunned when one happens. They don’t know what to do and end up going about things wrong. This isn’t much of an issue when there’s a slight accident, and no damage is done to either party, and you’re happy to just go your separate ways. But, when a lot of damage has been caused to your car (or yourself!), then you need to know the right steps to take.
First thing’s first, check that everyone involved is okay and call for assistance if needed. Once you’ve dealt with the medical side of things, you need to inspect the damage. Talk to the other driver and get their insurance details and name. They’ll want the same from you, so give them both these things and nothing else! Make sure you don’t admit fault at any stage either, or they can claim that you owned up to causing the accident even if they were in the wrong. Make a note of their license plate too, and be sure to write this down ASAP in case they take off without giving you any other details. If you require roadside assistance to tow your car, then call your insurance provider, and they should hook you up.
Now, if the accident is quite serious and you need to repair your car or pay for medical treatment, then you must try and get compensation. A lot of people just try this through their insurer. However, as it mentions here https://www.caseyshomolaw.com/west-palm-beach-car-accident-lawyer/, most insurance providers try and settle for as little as possible, so they don’t have to pay out much money to you. Instead, it makes sense to contact a lawyer so you can pursue the matter properly and get the money you deserve.
Follow this framework, and you should get through your accident fairly easily and end up with money if you’re entitled to it! Yes, it can be scary, and you’ll be a bit shaken up, but just focus on getting better and then heading back on the roads safely.
So, hopefully, this article has shed some light on the whole car accident topic. It’s vitally important that everyone knows more about this. If you don’t know what to do in the event of an accident, then you can lose a lot of money. Similarly, if you don’t know what causes accidents, then how will you know how to avoid them? Take all this information on board, and it will help you be a better, safer, driver.
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