The Safe Driver

Tips on how to prevent motor vehicle accidents from happening to you

**A contributed post as written for The Safe Driver by Sabrina Wright.

Whatever kind of motor vehicle you drive along some road, your end goal is always to arrive at your destination without experiencing any unwanted harm along the way. But if you’ve driven a motor vehicle for years, chances are you’ve grown a bit too comfortable with it that you’re already occasionally slacking off and breaking the rules of the road. However, every second that you spend driving your motor vehicle is precious as one wrong move can cost you both life and limb. As most – if not all – motor vehicle incidents are avoidable, here are some tips on how to prevent them from happening to you:

1. Do a thorough check of your motor vehicle and either fix any broken parts yourself in your spare time or bring it to a repair shop.

Why wait for an incident to occur to you if you can prevent it from happening by starting with inspecting your motor vehicle for any malfunctioning parts?

• Although it’s understandable that your daily schedule is already too hectic, you should make some time for checking your motor vehicle as simple preventive measures can go a long way towards pulling you farther from your untimely death due to a motor vehicle incident.
• A few hours of your spare time should be more than enough if you’ll only be fixing busted minor motor vehicle parts and watching online video tutorials on how you’re supposed to repair them.
• But for broken motor vehicle parts that are beyond your DIY (do it yourself) repair capabilities, you should take the entire vehicle itself to a repair shop and have a mechanic fix them. It may be a bit more costly, but as long as the mechanic knows what they’re doing, you can use your motor vehicle again in a few days or even less.

1. Sleep at least eight hours every night before driving your motor vehicle the next day.

As much as you’re confident enough that you can function like most people even with very little sleep, your claim can put you in grave danger once you step inside your motor vehicle and take the wheel.

• After all, operating a motor vehicle requires you to be always alert and aware of your surroundings so that you can quickly respond to any sign of trouble that can put you on the receiving end of an incident.
• Depriving yourself of the right amount of sleep per night and stepping inside your motor vehicle the next day can cause you to commit drowsy driving, lose your focus on the road, and collide with another vehicle.
• So even if you’re quite used to sleeping light, you should force yourself to sleep for at least eight hours every night so that you can have a refreshed mind and recharged senses once you take your motor vehicle out for a ride the next day.

1. Don’t do anything else other than driving your motor vehicle.

You’re no circus juggler at all, but juggling two or more tasks at the same time has become your specialty that most people you know can’t help but wonder how you manage to pull it off. However, you don’t want to multitask while driving your motor vehicle as it can put you in harm’s way faster than if you simply drove and did nothing else besides it.

• As Canada is a right-hand drive country, you might have resorted to using your left hand to reach for your phone, leftover sandwich, or a CD of your go-to music while your right hand is on your motor vehicle’s steering wheel. You should stop doing this though by firmly putting both your hands on the steering wheel and resisting the temptation to reach for anything in your motor vehicle’s glove compartment or cup holder.
• However, if you have to take care of something else other than driving, you should pull your motor vehicle over the side or shoulder of the road and do it there.

1. Don’t drive at all if there’s no absolute need for you to go out at night. But in case you need to do so, ensure that your motor vehicle’s lighting systems are all in working condition.

Once your shift at work ends in the afternoon, you can reason out to your boss that you won’t render overtime as you want to avoid getting caught in a motor vehicle incident. They’d surely understand your excuse as they might own a motor vehicle themselves.

• The likelihood that you’ll get involved in a motor vehicle incident increases when the sky turns dark as your night vision isn’t meant for driving at all. When you’ve reached home before nightfall, and you don’t have any occasion to attend to, you should give yourself and your motor vehicle a rest.
• But if you have to drive at night due to an emergency situation, you should check first if your head, tail, and signal lights are all working so that you can remain visible even in nighttime driving conditions.

Transport Canada had reported as part of their National Collision Database that more than 100,000 motor vehicle collisions happen every year. As a driver spending a fair amount of time on the road, you’ll want to get cautious every time you take your motor vehicle out for a spin and ensure that you’re as far from danger as possible by observing the above-listed tips on how to prevent motor vehicle accidents from happening to you. After all, you’ve got only one life to live, and you wouldn’t want it to get cut short after becoming a casualty of a motor vehicle accident.

If you’re concerned about your safety, know the legal implications of motor vehicle incidents by clicking here.

Sabrina Wright
Sabrina Wright is a vibrant young legal writer currently writing her next big project. Her modern outlook on the law field is  reflected on her informative pieces. Sabrina loves cooking and often invites her friends over for a barbecue.