Good Passengers Help Reduce Auto Accidents
Good Passengers Help Reduce Auto Accidents
I’m Ed Smith, a Benicia auto accident attorney. Did you know that a good driver can also make an excellent passenger while you are driving and even help you avoid an accident?
When an experienced driver becomes a passenger in your car, it’s easy to forget the challenges of driving safely and leave all the cares to the person driving. But were you aware that, as a passenger, you can actually help your driver avoid auto accidents and safely get you both to your destination? Follow these tips:
1. Create a Calm Driving Atmosphere.
Drivers need to be focused on conditions of the roadway, and you can help by being a calm presence in the vehicle. Loud conversations, music or arguments can distract the driver.
2. Buckle Up Every Time.
The State of California requires us to wear a seat belt unless you have a letter from a physician that excuses you from complying with this law. Properly securing and wearing a seat belt can save your life in the event of an auto accident, and failing to wear a seat belt can result in a very steep fine.
3. Limit your Driving Comments.
As a observant passenger, you may wish to offer helpful advice periodically, but criticism can contribute to a dangerous distraction. Seeing a roadway hazard before the driver has spotted same may provide a reason to alert him or her, but be sure to save any criticisms of a driving mistake until later.
4. Observe Good Cell Phone Etiquette.
Space inside an automobile is limited and considered much too small for you to comfortably conduct a personal cell phone conversation. Your driver and fellow occupants in the car may prefer not to hear it.
5. Take Charge of the Texting.
You can help the driver maintain his or her focus on the roadway by offering to reply to important text messages or answering a call. Ask your driver to let you take charge of monitoring his or her incoming calls and texts so that nothing creates a driving distraction.
6. Assume the Duties of a Co-pilot.
Your risk being a passenger is nearly the same as the driver’s, and each of you can take necessary steps to ensure each other’s safety. Offer to adjust the air conditioner or sound system and help your driver avoid looking at these items. You can be helpful by searching for something in the glove box or backseat should the driver need something. Just a couple of seconds of inattention to the roadway ahead can result in disaster and a nasty motor vehicle collision.
Benicia Auto Accident and Personal Injury Lawyer
I’m Ed Smith, a Benicia auto accident attorney. If you have been seriously injured in a car accident, please call me at (707) 564-1900 or (800) 404-5400 for free and friendly advice.
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Image Attribution: [CC BY 3.0 (https://creativecommons.org/license/by/3.0)], via Wikimedia Commons (BW_SelfPort_Seat_Belt.jpg)