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The large majority of us will be lucky enough to go through life without ever coming close to a serious car accident. However, these things can and do happen, and it can really pay off to be familiar with some of the major risk factors involved in crashes. Once you’ve been driving for a few years, it can be easy to slip into a state of apathy, and forget all about some very serious hazards…

Speeding

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You’ve almost certainly seen a speed freak tear past you on the highway from time to time, and may have even been one yourself occasionally. A lot of drivers, feeling way too confident in their abilities, will totally overlook the speed limit, and break it by ten, twenty, or even thirty miles per hour! Your speed will make it much harder to react to the conditions around you, and significantly increase your odds of getting involved in an accident. Make sure you’re paying attention to the speed limit, and sticking to it religiously. Just a few seconds can make all the difference when you need to avoid a collision.

Distracted Driving

This is one of the biggest dangers facing modern drivers today, especially as so many people overlook it! When you’re driving, reaching out for some food, replying to a message on your phone, or even getting too wrapped up in a conversation can increase your risk of a crash massively. Talk to any truck accident lawyer, and they’ll tell you that a massive proportion of the cases they have to deal with could have been prevented if one of the drivers hadn’t been distracted. Whenever you set off in your car, make sure you eliminate any kind of distractions that could pose a risk.

Reckless Driving

Although this is a term that’s thrown around by law enforcement all over the world, it’s a pretty broad one that can cover a lot of things. Reckless driving is any instance of a driver neglecting the kind of care they need to exercise at the wheel, and ignoring the traffic conditions around them. Speeding, changing lanes too abruptly, and tailgating are all examples of reckless driving. This kind of behaviour is usually rooted in road rage and impatience. If you bring an attitude out on the road with you, try to work on it!

Catching the Light

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Red means stop, green means go. Although this is so simple a child can grasp it, a lot of drivers try to save themselves a few milliseconds by stepping on the gas and trying to catch a green light before it turns red. You may be able to get away with this unscathed hundreds or even thousands of times. However, when your luck runs out, the consequences can be dire. Drivers who run red lights at intersections are often the cause of side-on collisions or “T-bones”, which are one of the most dangerous forms of collision that can happen between two vehicles. If you’ve got enough distance to stop safely, then do it!