Road traffic can make many people overwhelmed and frustrated. Whether you are late for a meeting or just can’t wait to head home after a long workday, being stuck on the road is the last thing you need. Besides all the frustrations of going too slow, driving in heavy traffic can be quite dangerous. Not only do you have to take extra control of your car, be highly attentive, and avoid distractions at all costs, you also need to account for the actions of others and drive defensively. Driving is like a group project. Your actions can affect the well-being of others and the opposite applies, and this is why you always need to stay on top of your safety measures. Read this article to find out important things that you need to keep track of to stay safe in public.
Leave Enough Space
Have you ever wondered what could possibly be causing the blockage as you sat in your car for hours waiting for the roads to clear? Just about any blockage situation can be fixed if the vehicles in congested lanes are able to move freely into the free-flowing ones. While this seems like a sensible solution, many drivers can feel skeptical about doing that, especially if they believe that it would be dangerous to merge. What you need to do is make sure that you always leave enough space, signaling that it’s safe for a vehicle to merge into your lane.
Avoid Jumping Lanes
You may think this is exactly the opposite of what has been discussed above. However, merging lanes is much different than jumping lanes. You can merge lanes if your lane seems to be the only congested one on a highway. Many people think that to get out of traffic jams, jumping lanes seems like a very viable solution. Though, all you need to do is stick to the “path of least resistance” instead. This path is typically the lane that allows you to avoid posing a risk on other vehicles, pedestrians, or cyclists, and eliminating the risks that other vehicles can impose. Choose the path that allows you to monitor your surroundings while moving. While you may think that this requires lane jumping often, the “path of least resistance” is usually already your lane.
Blind Spots and Overtaking
Typically, the cause behind the majority of devastating accidents is reckless and impatient drivers who participate in unsafe overtaking. Before you decide to overtake, you need to assess whether it’s safe, legal, and necessary. If you decide to overtake anyways or believe that this is your best option, then you should avoid overtaking several vehicles at once. You should always keep in mind that you may not be able to safely re-enter Los Angeles traffic after overtaking a vehicle. There are also several things that you should keep in mind to avoid getting injured in a Los Angeles blind spot truck accident while in traffic. Always remember that if the truck driver’s mirror is not visible, then they can’t see you. You also need to make head checks and check your mirrors constantly to check your blind spots as you prepare to overtake, turn, merge, or change lanes. Using your turn signals at the front and back of your vehicle before turning is vital; it is not safe to pass if you can’t turn without getting too close to the car in front of you or passing the speed limit. Lower visibility and bad weather can increase the dangers of unsafe overtaking. Wet roads, fog, and heavy truck spray can make it all the more difficult.
Stay Collected
Traffic can very easily trigger worrisome, especially to those who have anxious tendencies. Feeling worried and anxious can make you feel tense, which is something that you need to avoid while driving. Being tense means that you won’t be able to react effectively in specific situations, and this is why you always need to remind yourself that traffic is always happening and that there’s nothing that can be done. Relax your shoulders and jawline, and bring in the idea that being a few minutes late is better than risking your safety.
When you are on the road, unfortunately, there are very few things that you can control. Feeling out of control, especially while driving, can make you feel worried or lead you to behave rather recklessly. We know how dangerous driving in traffic can be; there are so many things, like blind spots, overtaking, merging, and jumping lanes, that you need to take into account. The pathway is still unpredictable, and this is why we collected some tips that will help keep you safe.