4 Ways to Avoid a Multi-Vehicle Accident
The roadways around Covington and Cincinnati are often crowded places. While collisions involving two vehicles are common, multi-car pileups occasionally occur. For example, in May, six individuals sustained some type of injury when a wrong-way driver caused a four-car pileup on the Ronald Reagan Highway.
While you may be able to receive compensation for your injuries and property damage from whoever caused the accident, assigning fault in a multi-vehicle accident can be difficult. An experienced attorney can likely help with that. Still, you are better off by avoiding a pileup altogether. Here are four ways to prevent a multi-car collision:
1. Stay Off Your Smartphone
You probably know by now that distracted driving causes accidents. If you send a text message or read an e-mail on your smartphone, you may be unable to react to events in front of your vehicle. As such, stay off your smartphone until you reach your destination.
2. Reduce Your Speed
Speed often contributes to multi-car collisions. While complying with posted limits is often an effective way to stay safe on the road, you may need to drive slower in certain situations. Further, you should always comply with slower speed limits in school and construction zones, where your surroundings may be unfamiliar or unpredictable.
3. Allow Some Space
Rear-end collisions are common in multi-vehicle crashes. The best way to avoid running into the back of another vehicle is to follow the three-second rule. To do so, find a marker beside the road. Then, be sure there is at least a three-second break between when the vehicle in front of you passes the marker and when your vehicle does.
4. Watch for Inclement Weather
Ice sometimes accumulates on roads, highways and bridges during cold winter months. Further, fog and other weather conditions may decrease visibility considerably. If you do not practice safe driving during inclement weather, you may find yourself in the middle of a multi-vehicle collision.
Even though multi-vehicle accidents are less common than those involving two cars, they happen more frequently than you may think. With some knowledge and a bit of care, you can likely decrease your chances of ending up in one.