Getting rear ended is one of the worst types of accidents that you can get into. People almost never see this accident coming, so it’s common for a driver to not even have a chance to do something about it to lessen the force of the impact. The damage to the car itself can also be severe and, while this isn’t as serious as an injury to someone’s body, it’s still a huge financial burden. Here are some strategies for avoiding these collisions.
Open Up a Space in Front
Rear end accidents are oftentimes sorts of chain reactions. The driver that’s rear ended, in some cases, has to slam on their brakes because they’re too close to the car in front of them. Open up some space in front of your car to avoid this. Keep two seconds of time between you and the vehicle in front of you. If you want to be extra safe, keep two car lengths open in front of you so people can merge in-between without you being required to hit your brakes to avoid them.
Check Your Brake Lights
Make sure your brake lights are working before you take off anywhere. If there’s a window or a car behind yours that you can see your lights reflected in, use that to verify that all three of your brake lights are working. Otherwise, have someone help you check.
Avoid Congestion
If you have a commute you do every day, learn an alternate route. Crowded driving conditions cause plenty of accidents; rear end collisions are only one type. If you can find a more laid back route than the main highways and freeways, it’s oftentimes worth it to take that route and to avoid the press of serous traffic.
Don’t Speed
When you’re speeding, people will usually speed up behind you to keep pace. This increases their braking distance and makes it harder for them to avoid hitting you if you stop too quickly. Follow the speed limits. The people who are dangerous drivers because of always being in a rush will go around you, which is a bonus for following the speed limit. Drivers that go too fast for the road are the last people you want to have following behind you.
An accident attorney may recommend suing if someone rear ends you because of their own negligence and disregard for other drivers.
