DRIVING HABITS THAT INCREASE YOUR CHANCES OF AN ACCIDENT

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DRIVING HABITS THAT INCREASE YOUR CHANCES OF AN ACCIDENT

Admin • April 24, 2019

Wrecked Car Towing | Indianapolis, IN | HIX Wrecker Service, Inc.

While you may like to think that if you were in any type of auto accident that it wouldn't be you at fault, someone will be at fault and it may be you if you have certain habits. You can learn about some of the things that lead to many accidents here. If you are guilty of any of these things, then you should stop those habits to decrease your odds of being involved in an accident.

TEXTING AND DRIVING

Texting while driving has been found to account for one out of every four automobile accidents in the US. In fact, driving a car while texting puts someone more at risk of an accident than driving while intoxicated by 3.6 times. While using a cell phone at all greatly increases the risk of accidents, texting poses the biggest threat due to the amount of time a person's eyes are taken off the road when texting.

If you know the urge to take a call or peek at a text message is difficult for you to pass up, then turn your phone off while you are driving and turn the phone back on when you get safely to where you are going.

Another thing that may help is leaving the phone in the back seat, where you know you won't be able to reach the phone while driving. This lets you know you have a call to check when safely pulled over and prevents you from thinking about answering.

DISTRACTED DRIVING

Distracted driving includes things such as putting on makeup, putting out a cigarette, reaching for something in the console of the car, and eating and drinking while driving. A survey done in 2014 found that the distraction of eating and drinking while driving will make you 3.6 times more likely to have an automobile accident than someone who is not distracted while on the road.

If you know you are going to want to eat before you reach your destination, then pull off at a safe location and eat. If you are on a long drive and will need to drink while driving, put your drink into a container with a tall straw. Set the container in the easiest-to-reach cup holder. This way, you can reach for the container and drink without taking your eyes off the road.

SPEEDING

Not only can speeding get you a hefty fine to pay but speeding also increases your chances of being involved in an auto accident. Speeding was a factor in over a quarter of all traffic accident related deaths in 2017.

If you are driving more than the posted speed limit for the road or highway you are on, then you are speeding. When you speed, you are more likely to lose control of your automobile, you will not have enough time to react to hazards safely, and you have an increased risk of the accident being more serious.

You may end up unintentionally speeding because you aren't paying attention. Also, you can do some things to lessen the likeliness of you feeling the desire to speed.

These things include making sure you leave with plenty of time to make it to your designation, always pay attention to posted speed limit signs, and set cruise control to the posted speed when driving in conditions where using cruise control would be safe.

WHEN YOU NEED HELP

If you have been involved in an accident and you need a tow, contact us. Not only can we help to tow your car to your home or the mechanic shop where you plan on having it repaired, but we can also take care of your automobile wrecking needs if your car is considered a loss.

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