3 Ways To Avoid Accidents While Driving Your Car

If you've been involved in an accident, you probably want to do everything you can to avoid another one, especially if you were at-fault in the first one. There's no way to prevent every accident, but there are some things you can do to help reduce the chances of being involved in another one. Take a look at a few of the ways you can help protect yourself from car accidents.

Be on Alert for Parking Lot Accidents

Accidents can happen anywhere. To protect yourself from accidents, watch for cars pulling out from parking stalls. You may believe that these parked cars would share 50% of the blame if you got in an accident, but csib.org says that could be false. You may actually be liable for 100% of the damages! You never know when someone may back out and hit you. It's also important that you watch for oncoming cars when you're backing out of a parking stall. Here are just a few things you can do to avoid parking lot accidents.

• Drive slowly through the parking lot.

• Watch for cars that may not have working back-up lights.

• Look both ways several times before backing out of a parking stall.

Watch For Pedestrians

Even when you're extremely careful, a pedestrian can walk out in front of you. When you're trying to avoid accidents, be aware of the people who are walking around you, especially when there is a crosswalk nearby. Here are a few precautionary measures you can take when approaching a crosswalk.

• Slow down as you approach the crosswalk – even if you're already going slower than the speed limit.

• Start braking early so that cars in back of you can adjust their speed.

• Watch for pedestrians who may step out from between cars.

• Avoid passing cars that are parked at a crosswalk – they may be waiting for a pedestrian to cross.

Slow Down Near Parked Cars

Parked cars may be hiding dangers that you can't see, especially if they're in residential neighborhoods or near schools. You never know when someone will pull away from the side of the road without looking or when someone might open their car door.

It's particularly important that you watch for people who may be stepping out from between parked cars. Reducing your speed while driving past parked cars will allow you to react quickly should a pedestrian walk into the street.

You want to avoid car accidents. These tips will help you avoid some common types of accidents, such as parking lot accidents, or accidents involving pedestrians. If you have been involved in an accident, it's important that you contact a car accident lawyer as soon as possible.