How Defensive Driving Prevents Accidents

No one plans to have a car accident, but many drivers also fail to take the steps needed to prevent them. The majority of the accidents that result in personal injury claims each year can be prevented by improved driving skills through a defensive driving course. Any auto injury doctor knows that the same mistakes and injuries occur over and over, usually for the same reasons. Considering the two million victims that result from these accidents and the large number that seek the services of an auto injury doctor because they were the innocent victims, more people could benefit from taking a defensive driving course and putting the skills they learn their into practice.

What is Defensive Driving?

Defensive driving teaches drivers to pay attention to their surroundings and to recognize signals that an accident might occur. It takes the element of surprise out of car accidents and teaches you how to respond quickly in case you are caught off-guard. Defensive driving is also about learning to protect yourself so that you don’t end up seeing an auto injury doctor when another driver causes an accident that makes you a victim.

Stay Focused

When you consider the things that drivers are doing while they are on the road, it isn’t surprising that more people are becoming victims of auto accidents. Texting, talking on the phone, eating, using electronics, and disciplining their children are some of the tasks they perform while they should be focused on the road conditions. All it takes to be named in a personal injury case is to be the cause of an accident that causes injury to another person. No matter what your current situation is, stay focused on your driving. The majority of accidents are caused by distracted drivers. No matter how good you are at driving, remember that all those thousands of drivers who caused accidents previously thought the same thing.

Never Drive While Impaired

We all know that alcohol and illegal drugs are often to blame for car accidents but they aren’t the only reasons that a driver may be impaired. Not having enough sleep, taking prescription or over-the-counter medications, or being emotionally distraught are some of the reasons that you may be impaired. Only get behind the wheel when you are in control and can give your driving your full attention.

How to Learn Defensive Driving

When drivers receive traffic citations, they may be given the option to attend traffic school rather than to pay a large fine and get points against them on their driving record. You don’t have to be sentenced to a defensive driving course to take one and you shouldn’t wait until you or someone else is hurt severely enough to be sent to an auto injury doctor to start worrying about your driving skills. Today, you can easily find a local or online defensive driving course that costs anywhere from $15 to $55. Make sure that it is a course that is approved by your state and see if your insurance company offers discounts for completing a safety course. Many insurance companies recognize that learning defensive driving skills makes you a safer driver!

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