Tips for Safe Driving Practices

Driver safety laws are the legal fabric that makes up our driving environments, and the laws associated with driving range from common and well understood – such as traffic lights, signs, and phone laws – to less common and sometimes unknown – such as the different methods for making a right turn on red depending on the layout of an intersection. Mistakes happen while driving and fortunately most of the time it doesn’t lead to anything at all. But sometimes laws are broken that force other motorists into compromising situations that can lead to injury or death.

All of the laws put into place to prevent dangerous driving behaviours – and many others – are there to make the roads a safe place for everyone to use. When they are broken the roads become a much more dangerous situation. If you are the one behind the wheel, here are a few simple safety practices that we sometimes take for granted:

• Be alert. It may sound obvious, but distracted driving isn’t always as obvious as it seems. On an obvious level, handheld electronics should not be in use while driving. However it’s equally important to keep your eyes on the road, and not lose yourself in conversation, or make adjustments to the radio under unsafe conditions. It only takes a moment to cause a collision.
• Be mindful of visibility conditions. As the weather changes, we must also change our driving habits to adapt. Take note of driving situations where visibility is reduced, and ensure you give yourself more time to react to any unexpected changes on the road.
• Follow the rules of the road. This should be obvious as well, but most of us are guilty of skirting a law here and there, especially if we’re running late for something. Although this can seem like it’s not a big deal, especially if we feel we’ve done our due diligence and made sure it’s safe – remember, every driver relies on every other driver to follow the rules. Surprises and unsafe decisions can catch other motorists by surprise, which can lead to collisions, injuries, or even death.

Safety laws are only effective as long as they are followed by everyone on the road, but unfortunately that is not always the case. If a motorist violates a law that causes harm, or even death, it’s vital that they answer to the law so that justice can be delivered on behalf of all affected. If you or someone you know have been impacted by an irresponsible motorist, please reach out to our offices so that we can act on your behalf to ensure justice is served and they can be held responsible for their actions.