Can I Reduce My Chance of Having a Highway Accident?

Sadly, National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) data shows there are more than 6 million police-reported automobile accidents annually — that's one accident in every five seconds. On average, one person is injured in one of these crashes every 10 seconds and one person is killed every 12 minutes.  A large percentage of these auto accident deaths happen on our nation's highways because of the higher rates of speed.

But there IS good news! When you practice safe driving habits, you help reduce the chance of having a highway accident.

How many of these tips do you incorporate into your highway diving?

• When merging onto a highway, you should be at average traffic speed
  
• If drivers are entering the highway and you are traveling in the right lane where they enter, move to the left lane; if that's not possible, then slow down to allow them to enter traffic
  
• The faster the speed, the more distance you need, so put plenty of distance between you and other vehicles. Many experts advocate the two-second rule, which means start counting when you see the vehicle ahead of you pass a fixed object, then count, "one-thousand one, one-thousand two." If you reach the fixed object before "two," then you are following too closely
  
• Try to maintain average traffic speed — vehicles going much slower or faster are at greater risk of having an accident, and — of course — use common sense regarding posted speed laws
• Use extra caution when driving at night or in bad weather; adapt your driving to roadway conditions
  
• Avoid sudden moves since it does not allow other drivers time to react
• Continuously scan the roadway ahead of you for signs of trouble, like construction and traffic slowdowns
• Be aware of other drivers around you, particularly those beside you or slightly to the rear; and remember semi-tractor trailers and big trucks take a longer time to break than a car, so use caution
  
• Make sure your rearview mirrors are properly adjusted before you drive
• If you're driving long distances, take a break every few hours as reaction time and overall driving skills decline as you get tired
  
• When exiting the highway, begin to signal well in advance and do not significantly slow down until you start to turn off the highway

Safe driving!