It’s certain that people need to know the importance of safety regulations in order to prevent and limit the consequences of accidents. There are a lot of places where we encounter safety regulations and we take them for granted because someone else took care of applying them for us. Most times, people choose to ignore the importance of safety regulations because most of us think that accidents are things one sees only at TV. But accident are as real as they get and that’s why safety regulations are everywhere: at work, in hotels, in public places, at concerts and especially in motorsport. Just think at how Formula 1 or the 24h LeMans Race would be without safety regulations (probably naked drivers, to save weight, and rocket-propelled cars, to launch themselves into history books).
This week, we start a new series of articles regarding road accidents. Over the next few weeks we will offer some top tips on how to avoid an accident when driving and we will analyze accidents caught on camera and explain their causes and how they could have been prevented.
As you might have thought, the most important safety regulations that you need to follow when driving on public roads are the ones that will surely bring you a ticket or leave you without your driver’s license if broken: traffic rules. The first step of preventing an accident while driving is by respecting the traffic rules. Someone once said that there would be no accidents if all the drivers would respect the traffic rules all the time.
Always pay attention to the road signs. They give you useful information about the road ahead: easy or hard left or right turn, twisty road, bumpy road, interdiction of overtaking and so on. Pay attention to the speed limits. They are in a certain manner for a reason. We are aware that most drivers choose not to respect the speed limit and that’s why our best advice it to adapt your speed to the road’s conditions.
Be aware of the driving conditions. A wet road is more slippery than a dry one. An icy one is even worse. On anything other than dry good asphalt, your car will not respond the same when you perform sudden or violent maneuvers. It will not brake the same, steer the same, accelerate the same.
Keep your distance and be calm! Never tailgate! You can never know what the guy in front of you will do. Try to be as calm as possible. When you get angry or frustrated you tend to make poor decisions. If you have a lorry in front of you that’s going 50km/h on a twisty road, don’t risk overtaking him if you’re not absolutely sure you can. It’s better to pull over, relax 5 minutes and carry on.
Never drive if you are tired! Studies have shown that being awake for more than 18 hours equals to a blood alcohol concentration of 0.08%. Obviously, never drive if you are drunk, either.
If you find yourself being involved in an accident, keep in mind that the car might be in an unstable position. Also, the car contains flammable substances that can catch fire or explode. If possible, get away from the wreck and call your local emergency number.
Never overestimate your car’s capabilities or your driving skills. Respect the car and the car will respect you. Remember to feel how the car is behaving. It will tell you if it’s struggling to follow the trajectory you want, in which case, slow down!
Don’t forget! Once a week, we will show you an accident caught on camera, explain it to you, show what went wrong and what should have been done to prevent it! Until next time, stay safe!