Did you know that rear-end collisions are the most common types of car crashes in the country? In fact, it accounts for nearly 30 percent of all collisions. Now, such crashes can lead to injuries, in some cases even fatal. In fact, a significant part of the insurance claims are due to such crashes. Which emphasizes the need for car insurance even further. If you’re looking to insure your car, make sure to get in touch with Surex to get your ideal coverage at the best rates.
At present, there are modern technologies like automatic collision avoidance and forward collision detection that helps in reducing the risk. Along with using all that tech, every driver should also keep the given facts in mind to avoid rear-end collisions.
1. Look Farther To Notice The Traffic Stopping
You need to look farther down the road to notice whether the vehicle right in front of you is slamming on the brakes or not. It will get you enough time to hit the brake gentler and sooner, which lets the car coming from behind you to press the brake sooner. Thus, minimizes the chance of pressing the brakes in panic and plowing straight into your car.
2. Get Into The Habit Of Frequently Checking The Mirrors
You need to check those mirrors every eight seconds and once more while stopping or slowing down. At the time of coming to a stop at the stop signs or traffic lights, check the rearview mirrors to make sure the vehicles right behind your vehicle are stopping, too.
When the traffic starts to stop or slow on a highway, take a look at the mirrors to ensure that the cars are stopping behind your car. After all, it is hard to tell if the driver on that rear bumper is on his/her phone just when the cars going in front are stopping.
3. Remain Focused When You Drive Your Car
There might not be any cars right behind you at the time when you stopped your car. But as you sit there and wait, cars might be coming up from behind. And it is not impossible that one of the drivers sitting in those cars is texting away on his/her phone. It is a more common scenario than you think.
Staying focused in such situations will let you find an escape route in time, rather than getting hit by a careless driver.
4. Try To Look For The Escape Route Beforehand
Whenever you slow down your car to stop, look for an escape route. Off the top of your head, curb lanes, sidewalks, left turn lanes and other safe routes are good places to maneuver your car to avoid getting hit by a charging vehicle.
5. Never Rush Your Car To Reach A Red Light
You need to remember to always slow down your car gradually, rather than rushing up to reach a red light or stop sign. It will make the car behind you slow down gradually as well. When you rush up and hit the brakes suddenly, the driver coming up from behind might not react that swiftly.
Also, there is another advantage that the light might change to green before you reach it and you will not have to press the brakes at all in that case. The secondary benefit of being cautious like this is that it saves you from brake wear and fuel wastage.
6. Don’t Stop Right Behind The Car In Front Of You
At the time of stopping your car, there has to be a distance of at least two to three vehicles between your car and the one in front of you. When you pull up really close to the car in front, you lock yourself in a potentially dangerous zone by eliminating all chances of escape. So, give some room to yourself so that the onrushing car gets a bit more brake space.
7. Start Visualizing a Way Out When You Stop
When you stop, have a mental map of what you need to do if the car right behind you does not press the brakes in time. Tell yourself that what you have to do is to get off those brakes and steer towards an exit route (as pointed out before).
As an instant reaction to rear-end collisions, most of the drivers push their brakes harder when they are stuck from the back. Unfortunately, it is the wrong reaction. You need to accelerate and move the steering to the place you want.
8. Keep Checking The Brake Lights Occasionally
That simple 20-cent fuse can blow up and take away the brake lights of your car. Now, drivers look at that sign to know that you are going to stop the car. Thus, burned out brake lights need immediate replacement. Use the reflection you see in store front windows to check the brake lights.
9. Keep Pace With The Traffic Whenever You’re Driving
If you drive too slow or fast compared to other vehicles on the road, there is a higher chance of your car getting rear ended. After all, even driving too slowly can make you reach the blind spot of other drivers, which increases the risk of collision.
Of course, this is not to say that you need to race your car if the vehicle in front of you is going over the speed limit. Keep in mind that the key is to keep up with the general pace of vehicles on the road.
10. Do Not Try To Scare Off The Drivers By Braking Hard
When the drivers are following too closely, you should not hit the brakes too hard to scare them. It is one of the easiest ways to end up in a collision. You need to slow down gradually at the next passing zone available to you and let them pass you.
In case the car keeps on following too closely, simply pull into a safe location like a service station and let it pass by.
Wrapping up
And now you know ten ways to avoid rear-end collisions for your vehicle. Combine these tips with the use of advanced vehicular technology, and you will be a lot safer on the roads.
