Automotive

5 Ways to Avoid Rear-End Collisions

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Nobody ever wants to be in a car accident. Maybe you’re in just a minor fender bender. Even in these instances, you can hurt yourself or someone else. A minor car accident can also drive up your insurance rates.

In the following article, we will talk about the rear-end collision. It’s one of the most common accident varieties. We will define the rear-end collision, and we’ll also go over ways you can potentially avoid them.

What is a Rear-End Collision?

When someone hits your car’s rear bumper with their front bumper, that is a rear-end collision. There are about 1.7 million rear-end collisions every year. That’s a lot, and the number should definitely get your attention.

Rear-end collisions can happen in many situations. For instance, they can occur during bad weather or on perfectly clear days, without a cloud in the sky. You might get in a rear-end collision when you’re in heavy traffic or you’re on your block just a few feet from your house.

Now, let’s talk about a few different ways you can potentially avoid rear-end collisions.

You Can Avoid Driving in Bad Weather

If you can avoid bad weather driving whenever possible, you can prevent rear-end collisions as well, not to mention any other car accident variety. Bad weather might encompass snow, rain, sleet, hail, ice, etc. 

Maybe it’s raining or snowing while you’re trying to drive, or perhaps there’s snow and ice on the ground, so you can lose control of the vehicle if you’re not careful.

If you need to drive somewhere in bad weather, you can turn on your headlights and go slower than usual. You might avoid rear-end collisions that way. Maybe you need to head to work or home from it, and you don’t feel like you can take that day off.

If you can possibly work from home, though, do that instead of driving. If you need to pick up groceries or something like that, put it off if you can. Only drive around in bad weather if you feel like you have no other choice.

You Can Drive Slower

You should never speed, regardless of the weather. If you stick strictly to the speed limit, you can stop more easily if someone ahead of you happens to slam on their brakes.

You don’t want to cause a rear-end collision, or your insurance will have to cover that. If you tell your insurance company you were going over the speed limit when you hit the car ahead of you, they will likely raise your rate.

Also, you might injure someone in the car ahead of you. If you do, your insurance should pay for it, but it might not cover all of the damages. Maybe you hurt the person so severely that they can’t return to work for months or even years.

If so, you may face a potentially devastating lawsuit. You can avoid all of this so easily if you drive the speed limit, though. You might not get where you are going quite as fast, but you keep yourself and those around you safer.

You Can Avoid Looking at Your Phone

Looking at phones or trying to use them causes rear-end collisions all the time. Maybe you’ve seen a smartphone cause an accident or almost cause one.

Smartphone use is way up, and very few people don’t have one anymore. Smartphone addiction even occurs. If you’re on the road, though, there’s no reason to use your phone right then.

You can avoid texting or talking on the phone until you get to your destination. If you have to use the phone, pull over to the side of the road or into a parking lot to do that.

Some cars will let you talk to someone on your phone without using your hands. That’s better than trying to hold a phone, but even that’s not safe.

To avoid causing a rear-end collision, wait till you get where you’re going or get away from traffic to use your phone. Whatever message you’re attempting to send or conversation you’re trying to have, it’s not worth endangering yourself and those around you.

You Can Keep Your Eyes Consistently on the Road

Distracted driving causes more rear-end collisions than just about anything else. Many things can distract you, and you should understand that before starting your car’s engine.

For instance, maybe there’s a spirited conversation between you and the person next to you. Perhaps you’re arguing, and you take your eyes off the road.

If that happens, you can easily cause a rear-end collision. Maybe you see a billboard and try to read it. That can cause an accident as well.

You might even see another collision, and you’re looking at it when you hit the car in front of you. When you keep your eyes on the road, that makes this accident variety much less likely.

You Can Avoid Tailgating Someone

You can also avoid rear-end collisions by never tailgating anyone. Tailgating means you ride a car’s bumper with your own. You can do that on the street, but it’s more common on the highway.

You might feel like the driver in front of you is driving very slowly. You don’t need to tailgate them to try and get their attention, though. 

You can get in the passing lane and pass them when you get the chance. You don’t know why someone drives slowly, so don’t honk at them or tailgate them. They might not see very well, or perhaps they’re older and don’t drive so confidently anymore.

If you avoid tailgating other drivers, that’s one more thing that makes rear-end collisions less likely. You should stay at least a full car length behind someone unless there’s no way to avoid getting closer.

Now, you know what driving behaviors to avoid so you can stay safe. You probably won’t cause a costly or damaging rear-end collision if you stay away from the activities that we’ve mentioned.

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