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No matter how safety-conscious you are, driving is always risky

On Behalf of | Mar 26, 2021 | Personal Injury |

People often try to consider ways that they can become safer drivers. They think about defensive driving. They study handbooks and laws. They take extra steps to avoid mistakes, like turning their phone off in the car. They try to reduce the risk because cars are very convenient — and even necessary — and they want that benefit.

This is a great mindset. The roads would be a lot safer if everyone thought that way.  At the same time, though, you must know that there will always be an element of risk when you drive.

You are only half of the equation when it comes to your safety on the road

No matter how safety-conscious you are, you cannot control the minds or actions of the other people out there on the road. You can do everything right and still end up in a serious accident because of another driver’s poor choices.

Take, for instance, wrong-way drivers. When someone gets on the interstate going the wrong way, you may have no chance to avoid them. It all happens so fast because you’re both traveling at 70 miles per hour toward each other, for a combined speed of 140 miles per hour. Even defensive driving doesn’t give you a chance to avoid that type of unexpected crash. 

Plus, two-thirds of these drivers are impaired. You may never dream of drinking and driving, but you can’t change the fact that someone else may drink heavily, get in the car, and drive the wrong way on a busy road — and then crash into you.

What can you do if you’re injured by a reckless or negligent driver?

Since there has to be a risk when you drive, the best thing you can do — other than being safe yourself — is to learn about your legal options if you get injured. If you’re hurt, it’s often best to let an attorney take charge of the negotiations with the insurance company involved.