You have 1.3 seconds to avoid a crash. Will you be ready? Here are some valuable tips to avoid split-second driving emergencies:
1) Look out behind you. There may be a distracted driver speeding towards your vehicle. Glance at the traffic in your rear-view mirror every 5 to 8 seconds. You can avoid a rear-end collision by spotting the danger in time to get out of the way.
2) Give yourself a brake. Braking properly is essential to avoiding a crash. If you have Anti-Lock Brakes (ABS), slam on the brake pedal as fast and hard as you can and stay on it until the car stops. If you have non-ABS brakes, use medium to hard pressure until you can hear the tires "scream" without having them lock up, because that's when you lose control. The added benefit is that your passengers’ “screaming” will be kept to a minimum.
3) To swerve and protect. What if you see a car suddenly approaching your vehicle? Defensive driving is one of the best ways to prevent an accident. Always maintain some space both in front of you and on at least one side of your vehicle and don’t sandwich yourself between two cars while driving on the highway. If an adjacent car begins to swerve towards you, you’ll always have lots of space to move out of the way.
There are also ways to avoid a “head-on collision” with high car insurance rates.
This is especially important for parents of young drivers.
Insurance rates quoted for a parent and young driver from 30 top insurance companies shows rates ranging from $1,786 to $5,783 if both drivers have a clean record. If one of the drivers had an accident on their record the rates increased in range from $2,698 to $7,399.
A split-second decision to shop around online could save you hundreds, even thousands of dollars off the cost of insurance rates.