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Our society has become incredibly reliant on cars, they get us safely from point A to point B, after all. Or do they? In recent years we have seen an alarming increase in the number of car accidents that take place. While many are minor fender benders, others are serious and result in devastating injuries or death. These massive metal machines are filled with flammable liquid, and often those you love the most. Keeping your passengers, yourself, and all other drivers on the roads safe is something we all want, but it isn’t always as easy as that.
Texas highways are particularly dangerous, in fact, cities within the Dallas-Fort Worth areas often land on the list of cities with the most car accidents. Dallas sees thousands of car accidents every single day, which should come as no surprise since there are more than 7 million people living in the DFW area. According to the Texas Department of Transportation (TxDOT), there were nearly 631,000 crashes reported in 2017. These accidents involved 1,263,335 vehicles and 1,655,667 people. This means that literally millions of people are impacted by car accidents in Texas every year. In Dallas alone, there were nearly 39,000 accidents in 2016, involving 81,022 vehicles and 103,388 people. When looking at car accident statistics across the state, Dallas accounts for 16.25% of the state’s total accidents. Every year we see more accidents, which is due to numerous factors, including the prevalence of smartphones and other distractions while driving. In order to stay safe while navigating the Dallas highways, it’s important you avoid any distractions and pay attention to your surroundings.
Here are a few other tips on how to avoid becoming just another car accident statistic in Dallas:
- Always scan the area ahead of you – Don’t just focus on the car directly in front of you, but pay attention to traffic up ahead as well. This will help increase your chance of spotting a problem and having enough time to react.
- Pay attention to blind spots – Adjust your side mirrors and rearview mirror as necessary when driving. Not only will this ensure you have a good handle on everything going on around you, but it will help with blind spots. Physically turning to look into the lanes beside you when changing lanes will also help with this, as motorcycles and smaller cars can often go undetected on busy highways.
- Keep your hands on the wheel – We know it can be tempting to mess with the radio or your car’s internal sound system, but your best chance at avoiding an accident is keeping your hands on the wheel at all times. It is recommended to keep your hands at the 9 and 3 o’clock position because this will help you maintain maximum control, especially when you have to make a quick maneuver to avoid getting in an accident.
- Have a good attitude about driving – Road rage gets us nowhere: fact. By developing the right attitude about driving and not getting mad at other drivers, you will better your chances of avoiding being involved in a car accident.
- Limit night driving – Driving at night can be dangerous for many reasons. Many people have a hard time seeing at night, which can increase the chance of an accident taking place. Drunk and fatigued drivers are also on the roads at night, so it is imperative you drive extra defensively during the witching hour.
It’s no secret that the Dallas highways are some of the most dangerous in the country. If you’ve been involved in a car accident in Dallas, please contact Rad Law Firm today and schedule a free consultation with one of our attorneys.
