Rear-end accidents happen every day, and they can lead to severe injuries. It is important for drivers to know the risks and to understand what they can do to avoid these crashes.
For the trailing car, there should always be a focus on driving safely. They should never tailgate another vehicle, which reduces their reaction time. Distracted driving is another issue that people should avoid. A distracted driver is more likely to rear-end another vehicle simply because they’re not looking at the road and so they may not see traffic slow down ahead of them. Drivers should always try to maintain a safe following distance of three seconds, and they should adhere to the speed limit, making it easier to stop in an emergency.
What if you’re in the front car?
The advice above only applies to the rear driver, however. Is there anything that the front driver can do to avoid a crash? In many cases, there is not. If a driver is sitting at a red light, they may see another car approaching quickly in their rearview mirror, but they could be boxed in by other traffic and have no way to avoid the crash.
But in some cases, there are steps they can take. If they’re being tailgated, for example, they should try to slow down or even pull over. If they can get the tailgater to pass, then the odds of that rear-end accident go down dramatically.
Unfortunately, much of your safety on the road comes down to the actions taken by other drivers. If you get injured, carefully consider how you can seek financial compensation for medical bills, long-term costs, lost wages and more.