DON’T FORGET ABOUT THESE RUSH HOUR DRIVING SAFETY TIPS

June 24, 2018

It doesn’t matter where you are driving at rush hour, there’s a good chance you’ll find yourself in quite a bit of traffic. Although this is something you expect at certain times of the day, it doesn’t make it any easier to remain safe.

Unfortunately, in addition to creating traffic jams and making it more difficult on everyone else on the road to reach their destinations, rush hour accidents have the potential to cause injuries and damage to vehicles.

Here are several rush hour driving safety tips to keep in mind:

• Leave early. If you know you’ll be facing rush hour traffic, do your best to leave early so you can reach your destination on time. This is particularly true in the morning, as you don’t want to be late for school, work or any other obligation.

• Leave more space. It’s not always easy to do in rush hour traffic, but attempt to leave additional space between your vehicle and the others on the road.

• Search for a secondary route. Rather than sit in the same traffic, day in and day out, consider another route. Maybe this can save you time. Or maybe it will help you avoid dangerous roads that are known for accidents.

• Don’t fall prey to distractions. When traffic slows, it’s easy to let your mind wander. Rather than watching the vehicles around you, the mind drifts to thoughts about your day at work. Some drivers might send a quick text to their spouses about plans for the evening. You should never let distractions get in your way.

• Stay in your lane. It’s tempting to jump from lane to lane, but this increases the risk of an accident. Once you know which lane you need to be in, get there and stay put.

It may take some adjustments on your part, but once you implement these rush hour driving safety tips you’ll feel much better.

In the event of an accident, you should move your car to safety, call 911 and seek medical attention. From that point, contact your insurance company, learn more about the cause of the crash and take the necessary steps to protect your legal rights.