As you hit the open road this summer, be on the lookout for road debris. Road debris can include everything from metal to rubber to plastics and comes in all shapes, sizes, and forms.
Take the following preventative measures this season to avoid damage to your vehicle from a collision with road debris.
Statistics
According to a previous study by the AAA Foundation for Traffic Safety, road debris was a factor in 200,000+ police-reported accidents between 2011-2014. Of those accidents, there were approximately 39,000 injuries and 500 deaths reported.
Safe Driving Tips
Here are some tips in order to avoid those dangerous road debris collisions:
Slow Down
If you’re traveling somewhat fast and come across road debris, there’s not a whole lot of reaction time to slow down in enough time to avoid a collision with road debris.
Keeping your speed down gives you more time to react when coming upon unexpected road debris, even if it’s just a few extra seconds.
Also, if vehicles ahead of you suddenly lose a tire, transported objects come loose, or the driver brakes suddenly, the extra distance and slower speed gives you a better chance of stopping and avoiding a collision.
No Tailgating
While slowing down and keeping a safe distance from the vehicle in front of you is always the safer option, it goes a long way to prevent unavoidable collisions.
Tailgating is not only very likely annoying to the driver ahead of you, but significantly decreases reaction time for you to stop or maneuver around road debris.
Since you can’t see what the driver ahead of you can see, a very sudden stop to avoid debris in the road could result in you colliding with the vehicle ahead because there’s simply no room or time to stop.
Reporting Road Debris
Road crews can’t be everywhere or aware of debris on each and every road.
If you cannot safely remove road debris from your path and the path of other drivers, a call to the authorities reporting unsafe conditions is recommended.
Doing so may prevent accidents and injuries once the debris is reported and removed so the road is restored to a clear and safe condition.
Conclusion
This summer, please slow down, drive a safe distance behind vehicles in front of you and of course, be on the lookout for road debris that could harm you and cause extensive damage to your vehicle.
If you’ve been involved in a road debris collision and need to get back on the road fast, trust your vehicle to the auto body repair experts at Downtown Autobody in Rohnert Park.
