Odd road features can end up causing a lot of havoc on the roads. It doesn’t take much—a five-way intersection, a poorly-placed traffic signal, an unusually tight corner—to throw drivers off and cause wrecks. Here are some places where you really need to watch out. Remember: Never trust anyone on the road but yourself.
1: Odd Stop Sign Configurations
Every once and a while, you’ll come up to an intersection with a feature such as a three-way stop sign. These are extremely dangerous. Most drivers will assume that the standard rules of the road apply in any situation. If you come up on an intersection where one direction does not stop, use extra caution and assume the other drivers won’t understand how it works.
2: Short Merge Lanes
You’ll see these a lot after passing through an intersection. There will be a very short amount of time for you to merge from the lane you’re in to the lane that remains and continues down the road. Remember that you have to yield to people if you can’t get in right away.
3: Surprise Speed Bumps
Speed bumps usually have a warning sign next to them that tells you how fast you can go over the speed bump. Deduct 5 mph from this figure. It’s almost certain that the figure they’re giving you is faster than you’ll be comfortable driving over the speed bump.
4: Uneven Pavement
There is sometimes a warning sign for this, sometimes not. If you’re on a motorcycle, it can dump you. If you’re in a car, it can cause you to lose control. Be careful whenever you see these signs. There’s usually a bump before the uneven surface begins, as well, which makes everything even worse than it is already in these situations.
5: Blind Driveways
Be wary if you can see the back-end of someone’s car sticking out of a driveway but you cannot see them. Such driveways cause a lot of wrecks. Assume the driver can’t see you. If they keep coming, go ahead and slow down if there’s no traffic behind you so that they can get out. They really may have no idea that you’re coming and may not be trying to be rude.
If you’re injured in car wreck, be sure to call an accident attorney. An accident lawyer in Dallas may be able to help you put together a lawsuit that could win you compensation.
