Rear-ended crashes represent approximately one third of all motor vehicle accidents on the roads. Rear-ended accidents in a large majority of cases cause whiplash injuries to the back or neck, ranging in severity, depending largely but not always due to the force of the impact.
Despite this large statistic, rear-ended accidents are in Accident Legal's opinion the most easy to avoid. In 99% of cases the cause of rear-ended accidents is distraction or momentary inattention. Below are some of Accident Legal's tips to avoid causing a rear-ended accident:
- Do not text and drive.
- Keep a safe distance from the vehicle in front of you. What is a safe distance will depend on the speed you are travelling and the size of your vehicle. Obviously the faster you are going and the heavier your vehicle is, the greater the distance should be. A very basic rule in built up areas, driving an average family car, is that you should maintain at least one car length, and on highways at least three car lengths. The image below shows how long it takes to stop based on speed:
- As interesting as your surroundings may be, keep your eyes on the road in front of you. One of our current matters was caused due to the driver of the vehicle which collided with our client's vehicle looking at a P&O cruise ship docked at Portside Wharf, and he didn't realise the vehicles in front of him were stopped because of a red light.
- Avoid playing with your radio unless your vehicle is stationary.
- Don't have your music too loud as it is important to listen for signs of an accident or someone stopping suddenly in front of you, such as the screeching of brakes.
- Plan your journey before you leave to avoid getting lost. Lost drivers are often stressed, going too fast because being lost has caused them to be late, or just generally unfamiliar with the roads.
- If someone cuts in front of you, as annoying as this may be, re-adjust the distance between you and the vehicle in front of you.
- Adopting the above tips will decrease the risk of you being the cause of a rear-ended collision.
If you have been injured on the road, Accident Legal provides 24/7 direct access to our senior lawyers and a customised approach to each claim to ensure our clients receive maximum compensation. No win no fee.
We'd love to help you or someone you know who has been injured in a road accident. To find out more about Accident Legal please visit our About Us page.
Contact us 24/7 on FREE CALL 1800 745 745 or email enquiries@accidentlegal.com.au
