Four Ways to Promote Road Safety

Four Ways to Promote Road Safety

Driving is one of the most dangerous activities that there is, claiming more than 40,000 lives annually, with over ten thousand car accidents a year in Las Vegas alone. To top things off, you can’t predict what other drivers on the road will do—all you can do is do your part to stay safe, and hope that everyone around you is responsible enough to do the same. Every driver knows to avoid drunk driving, speeding, and other simple hazards, but here are four more things you can do to avoid being at fault for an accident.

Don’t Multitask

Distractions while driving are incredibly risky, especially for teenagers. At 55 mph, taking 5 seconds to respond to a text is like driving the length of a football field with your eyes closed. Nevada’s distracted driving laws are lenient compared to most states, banning cell phone use behind the wheel. However, other distractions, such as radio, smartwatches, eating or drinking, and configuring GPS systems can be just as dangerous if not more so, even if some are technically legal. 

Take Defensive Driving Courses

Four Ways to Promote Road Safety

Knowing how to quickly respond to hazardous situations on the road can be a challenge for any driver, sensible or not. Defensive driving courses can better educate you on how to handle a variety of scenarios and are generally cheap and easy to access—you can check for local classes or attend online defensive driving courses to make sure you’re prepared for everything.

Help Employers Do Their Part

Every business can help their employees drive safely, even if driving isn’t a part of their primary responsibilities. Regardless of their industry, maintaining employee safety is in the best interest of any company, and simple measures, such as adopting policies requiring seat belt usage and offering assistance with an alcohol or drug dependency, can be excellent ways to encourage safe driving. 

Minimize Drowsy Driving

You wouldn’t drive drunk, so why drive drowsy? Being awake for 24 hours impairs you as much as a BAC of 0.10 (well past a DUI), and exhaustion accounts for thousands of motor deaths annually. Know the symptoms of drowsy driving and evaluate yourself periodically, especially during longer trips.

  • Being unable to remember the last few miles. 
  • Missing turns and road signs.
  • Struggling to keep your eyes open or rapidly blinking.
  • Drifting out of your lane or running across shoulder rumble strips.
  • Getting too close to other cars.

Some modern vehicles have onboard driver assistance packages, such as drowsiness detection systems—however, these are only tools to assist you, and shouldn’t be relied upon. You know yourself best, but if you experience any symptoms of drowsiness, you need to pull over and take a 15 to 45-minute nap. 

Talk to a Nevada Car Accident Attorney 

Unfortunately, even if you make safe choices behind the wheel, you can’t control the actions of others. If you’ve been injured by another driver’s negligent decisions, you deserve compensation and peace of mind. Aaron Law Group’s compassionate, experienced Las Vegas accident lawyers can handle your case and secure you a settlement that accounts for your pain and suffering in full, so don’t hesitate—contact us today at (702) 550-1111 to schedule your free consultation.


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