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How to Avoid Making a Car Accident Even Worse

There’s no such thing as a good car accident but it’s certainly true that some can be worse than others. At Law Offices of Fernando D. Vargas, we’d love to see a world where the consequences from car accidents declined. Here are some simple tips you can follow to help prevent car accidents from being worse than they have to be.

Don’t put your feet on the dashboard

Most people have put their feet up on the dashboard when on a long road trip but this can actually lead to serious injuries in the event of a car accident. In fact, one 13-year-old girl with her feet on the dash came out of an accident with a host of broken bones, including her check, eye socket, nose, and feet, as well as a dislocated jaw, vision problems that will last the rest of her life, memory issues, and bleeding in the brain.

Avoid distracted driving at all costs

Distracted driving is defined as anything you do that can divert your attention away from driving. It’s dangerous for you, the passengers in your vehicle, and everyone else on the road. Some examples of distracted driving include:

  • Eating
  • Drinking
  • Talking on the phone
  • Texting
  • Talking to passengers
  • Adjusting your audio controls
  • Grooming, such as putting on makeup up brushing your hair

In 2014, more than 3,000 people died as a result of distracted driving and more than 430,000 were injured in auto accidents caused by drivers who were distracted. Even if you don’t cause an accident while distracted, you can make an accident worse. Let’s consider this example: A driver crosses into your lane. If you’re unwrapping a candy bar and are distracted then you won’t notice them until it’s too late. While it may be their fault, you might have been able to avoid a collision if you weren’t also distracted.

Take traffic laws seriously

Traffic laws aren’t suggestions and they are there for a reason: To keep people safe on the road. Breaking laws doesn’t just put you at risk for getting a ticket, it also increases your chances of life-threatening injuries. For example, consider one study that showed that increasing your speed by one mile an hour increases your risk of being an accident by 3%. If you’re traveling 50 miles per hour, you’re 30x more likely to die than if you’re traveling at 20 mph.

Have you been injured in an auto accident?

If you’ve been injured in an auto accident then you need to contact a personal injury attorney right away. The professional staff of Law Offices of Fernando D. Vargas is here to help you through this troubling time. Call us today at 909-982-0707 to get your free legal consultation and find out if you have a case. Whether you were distracted, the other party was distracted, or no one was at fault, you may have compensation coming your way.