How to Avoid The Most Dangerous Stretches of Highway
If you ever drive down a road or a freeway and start to notice a lot of personal injury attorney billboards, then chances are you’re driving down a particularly dangerous stretch of highway.
Sometimes you have no choice because you’re either just passing through or it’s the only route you can use to get to your destination. However, if it’s a route that you regularly travel through, you may want to consider changing up your driving routine.
What you can infer from these billboard-laden stretches of road is that a lot of accidents occur there. Personal injury attorneys have traffic accident data and use that information to pinpoint their billboard advertising. It’s possible these segments of highway are notorious for sudden slow downs in traffic, or people anxious to step on the pedal to make their commute faster.
One of the most notorious stretches of freeway that has a ridiculous amount of attorney advertising is the 91 freeway in Los Angeles County. If you are traveling on the 91 freeway near the City of Compton you will usually see a dozen billboards for many local personal injury attorneys. Also, the 5 freeway south of Downtown Los Angeles also has quite a few.
Here are a few tips to help you safely drive through these regions:
1. Drive the speed limit or with the flow of traffic
Do not drive faster than the flow of traffic in these areas. The most common reasons why these stretches of freeway are dangerous:
- Sudden slow downs
- Other motorists having to make abrupt lane changes
- Maintenance / highway crews
The faster you’re going, the harder it is to avoid collisions in these situations.
2. Be extra attentive
Turn off the radio, get off your phone, adjust your rear view mirror and stay alert. Look around for people that may be speeding up from behind you. And watch out for people who look like they are going to change lanes. This is the time for defensive driving. The idea is to anticipate collisions and dangerous situations. If you’re in a car, pretend you’re on a motorcycle!
3. Purchase new tires
Depending on where you live, rain can make driving much more dangerous. If you’ve been putting off getting new tires, consider buying a new set. New tires can help prevent hydroplaning and improve overall traction.
4. Don’t look at billboards!
Billboards can be just as distracting as looking at your phone. Keep your eyes on the road.
5. Don’t tailgate
Keeping a lot of distance between you and the car in front of you is a great driving technique. It gives you a lot of time to react and avoid collisions. Also, be aware of people that are too close to the rear of your car. In some cases, it may be wise to change lanes to get away from that person.
6. Don’t get into road rage
No good comes out of road rage. There are millions of people in the United States and some of them are having bad days, may suffer from mental illness or are just plain jerks. You can’t control them and it’s not your job to police them. Just avoid these people and safely move out of their way.
7. Don’t drink and drive!
If you drink and drive along dangerous stretches of highway you’re really risking a lot. It’s not just that you may have to deal with the annoying DUI process, but you may kill someone, or you may kill yourself. Even in an accident that may not seem like your fault, getting into that accident while intoxicated can get you into very serious trouble. You could get charged with manslaughter or even more serious offenses.
Leave a Reply