How To Protect Yourself From Dangerous Drivers

When it comes to staying safe on the road, it’s not just your own driving habits that you need to be aware of. Other drivers may behave recklessly and it’s important to protect yourself against these drivers. Even if you cannot avoid an accident, there may be steps that you can take to reduce the damage and avoid injury. Below are just a few tips on how to protect yourself from dangerous drivers. 

Drive defensively

Defensive driving is a style of driving that can help to minimize accidents by viewing every road user as a potential danger. It involves giving road users enough space so that you can react in time if they do something reckless. Examples include keeping a safe distance behind cars and providing enough space when overtaking. Defensive driving shouldn’t be confused with hesitant driving – it simply involves looking ahead more and being more observant. 

Always wear your seatbelt

Even if you’re just driving around the corner, it’s important to make sure that you and all your passengers are wearing a seatbelt. A dangerous driver could pull out or fail to brake at any moment – having a seatbelt on can reduce the risk of injury if you are unable to avoid a collision. It can also prevent injury if you need to make an emergency stop. 

Avoid driving distracted

Distractions while driving can reduce your reaction time to hazards. While there are some distractions that are illegal (such as using a cell phone while driving), you should also be wary of other distractions such as eating while driving or trying to pass objects to passengers – while not illegal, these distractions could take away your concentration from the road and make you less alert of other road users. 

Carry out regular safety inspections on your vehicle

It’s important that your vehicle is able to keep you safe in the event of an accident. Annual vehicle safety inspections are mandatory in many states and could help to reduce injuries in the event of an accident by spotting issues like faulty airbags or faulty seatbelts. 

Know when to seek legal compensation

If you are involved in an accident that was not your fault, you are in your right to sue the other driver. This could be particularly important if you sustained an injury – a lawsuit could help you claim compensation to pay for vital medical treatment. Lawsuits can also send a message to reckless drivers, showing them that their dangerous driving has consequences. There are specialist lawyers that you can hire to help with certain types of accident such as truck accident lawyer John Foy & Associates. 

Use a dashcam

Dashcams are worth setting up in your car for recording video evidence of other dangerous drivers. This can help you win your case if you need to make an insurance claim or file a personal injury claim. Dashcam footage could also be useful if you need to report reckless driving behavior to the police. Check out this Tech Radar guide to the best dashcams.

Report, don’t confront

If you see someone driving dangerously, it’s usually a good idea not to confront them about it. Don’t try to catch up with them or get out of your vehicle to talk to them – you never know quite why a driver could be acting erratic and they may respond in a dangerous way. Reporting these drivers to the police is a much safer way to seek justice.