On an average day in New South Wales there are dozens of car accidents, many of which can be easily avoided by being a more proactive driver and by employing some hazard avoidance techniques.
Effective techniques that may improve your hazard perception include keeping a safe distance from other vehicles, scanning your surroundings, and being more proactive in regard to other road users and pedestrians.
Keeping a safe distance
One of the most frequent types of car accident are rear end collisions. In many cases these accidents can be avoided by keeping a safe distance from the car or motorbike in front of you and sticking to the posted speed limit. Be sure to allow a greater stopping distance when travelling at high speeds or in inclement weather.
Scanning your surroundings
The purpose of scanning your surroundings is to know, as much as humanly possible, what is going on at all times on the road. For many experienced drivers this can become habitual. By simply using your mirrors correctly, checking your blind spot before changing lanes, and keeping an eye on other drivers and road users, the risk of being involved in an accident can be significantly lowered.
Proactive driving
Unfortunately it is impossible to control the actions of other road users and pedestrians. For this reason it is important to be proactive and anticipate potentially dangerous situations before they occur. Simple examples of being proactive include slowing down around pedestrian crossings and keeping a safe distance from cyclists in the event they do something unplanned – such as suddenly stop or fall.
Remove distractions
Being distracted while behind the wheel places you at a significantly higher risk of being in an accident. To keep yourself, your passengers and other road users safe it is important to remove distractions from your vehicle. Simple strategies include keeping music at a low volume, ensuring your mobile telephone is only used in an approved cradle, and ensuring passengers in your vehicle behave in a manner that allows you to concentrate on driving.
Greenslips are mandatory in New South Wales
New South Wales has some of the busiest and most congested roads in Australia. Each day brings more car accidents, damage to cars, injuries, and even death. Have a CTP Greenslip for your car is a mandatory requirement for all registered vehicles. To ensure that you are getting the best deal when it comes time to purchase your CTP insurance, be sure to use our free Greenslip calculator.
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