Life is finally beginning to return to normal. With much of Georgia beginning to reopen and many expecting COVID restrictions to relax in the coming months, many people — including you — will likely be spending more time on the road than they have in more than a year. The last thing you want to deal with is a car accident that leaves you injured and unable to work or pay your bills, so in this post, we’ll provide you with five quick defensive driving tips you can use to stay safe while on the road.

We hope that you don’t have to deal with a personal injury now or in the future, but it’s important to know where you can turn if you do. Fairell Roy & Associates provides competent and dedicated legal representation, and you can trust us to fight tirelessly to help you secure compensation if you’ve been injured in a crash. Contact our firm to schedule a consultation with a personal injury attorney, and read on to learn more about how you can keep yourself safe on the road this spring.

Studies show that more accidents occur in the fast lane than in the slow. This makes intuitive sense, as the faster you go, the higher your risk of an accident.

Speed isn’t the only factor that makes the fast lane more dangerous, however. Drivers often switch in and out of the fast lane in order to move through traffic as quickly as possible, which means that you’ll have to monitor more maneuvers than you would by staying put in the center or right lanes. Instead of trying to save a few minutes in the fast lane, follow the speed limit and maintain plenty of distance between you and the vehicle in front of you in the middle or right-hand lane.

Whether you’ve been out on the road every day for essential work or you haven’t been on the road during inclement weather for most of the past year, it’s important for everyone to refresh themselves about how to drive safely in the rain before we start getting regular spring showers.

If you’re driving in the city, remember to slow down and be extra vigilant when looking for pedestrians and bicyclists. Watch the cars around you, too — poor visibility is one of the most common causes of accidents. If there’s a serious downpour and you don’t feel comfortable driving, it’s always better to find a safe area to pull off than it is to keep going. Remember, making it to your destination is much more important than making it on time if it means taking unnecessary and dangerous risks!

Most people are guilty of taking curves a little too lightly, especially when they’re in a hurry to get to their destination. However, it’s all too easy to underestimate just how fast you’re going around a turn and lose control of your vehicle. This is especially true in areas where you aren’t familiar with the terrain. Yes, it’s inconvenient to slow down and take curves at a lower speed, but it’s always worth an extra 30 seconds of deceleration if it means keeping yourself and others on the road safe.

You know where your vehicle’s blind spots are, but what about others’ blind spots? Whether you’re in the city or on the highway, monitoring and gauging where another person’s blind spot is can be difficult at best and nearly impossible at worst. It’s best to assume that they can’t see you and proceed with caution, especially when you’re traveling on the highway. No matter where you’re driving, make sure that you signal before switching lanes and have triple checked where you’ll maneuver your car before you turn the wheel.

We know that this is a tip you hear far too often, but you hear it because phone-related distractions are one of the leading causes of accidents in the United States among young and older adults. Taking your eyes off the road — even for just one moment to switch songs or see who texted you — could make the difference between being in an accident and avoiding one.

That said, we know that our phones function as radios, GPS, and other features that you may need while driving. Mount your phone on the dashboard instead of holding it in your lap and looking down to follow the map, and set everything up in advance so that you can devote 100% of your attention to the road. If your phone has the option, turn on Do Not Disturb mode to limit the temptation to look at notifications that come in while driving.

We hope that today’s post will help you stay safe while driving this spring. We’ll continue to post additional resources on our blog page , so stay tuned and be sure to follow us on Facebook to keep up with our posts.

If you’ve been injured in an accident, it’s important to understand your options and know how to protect your future. The car accident attorneys at Fairell Roy & Associates offer competent and aggressive legal representation for car accident victims, and you can count on our team to be there for you when you need us most.

Call or email our office to speak with a personal injury attorney who will put your needs first.