Getting Back on the Road

Over the last year, the roads, Parkways, and Expressways have all seen record low numbers of cars. With people quarantining, working from home, going to school remotely, and just not going anywhere, cars sat idle, and roads remained clear. We have been lucky enough to remain pretty busy throughout the pandemic, with people doing the right thing to keep their cars in good shape, doing basic maintenance, and getting work done on cars that they had been putting off.

Since there have been fewer people on the road, there have been fewer accidents. If you speak with services and businesses that rely on car accidents, such as auto body shops, or even personal injury attorneys, they will tell you that business has been slow or even non-existent due to the lack of accidents.

With the number of COVID cases going down and a large number of New Yorkers having at least one vaccine, Long Island and much of New York are getting back to work. More people are traveling, and more people are commuting. The roads are once again seeing the traffic and congestion common to the area.

Since there are more cars on the road, we want to remind everyone to be careful out there. Have patience for other drivers and drive defensively. Here are some tips for being a safe driver.

• Safety First – Avoid aggressive driving, do not be distracted by your phone or other occupants of the car. Leave space between cars and use your directional lights and wear your seat belts.

• Be Aware of Your Surroundings – If you get distracted or are not aware of what is happening around you, a serious accident can happen in as little as three seconds. Keep your eyes moving and adjust your driving to other cars, road conditions, and the weather.

• Do not assume other drivers will do the right thing – Put it another way, this writer’s father’s advice for driving was to assume everyone else was crazy. Be considerate to other drivers. Assume that other drivers WILL run the red light or stop signs. Plan your moves anticipating the worst-case scenario.

• Use the 3 to 4-second rule – The 3 to 4-second rule is that when a car in front of you passes a certain point, there should be enough space between you that you pass that same point at least 3 or 4 seconds later. If you pass the spot sooner than that, you are following too close, and you will not have time to react if that car has to suddenly stop or maneuver to avoid an accident.

• Keep your speed down and maintain a consistent speed – Don’t speed, especially when there is a lot of traffic on the road. Also, maintain a consistent speed and don’t change lanes suddenly. Other cars around you are making decisions based on your actions. If you make sudden moves or speed changes, others will not be sure of what you will do. They will be paying attention to you, distracting them from others putting them at risk.

• Have an escape route – When you are driving, one of the many things you have to consider is what will do you in case there is an emergency. Keep an eye out for things like gaps in traffic, how wide the shoulders of the road are, and how close people are around you. Also, try to avoid driving in other driver’s blind spots, especially a truck’s blind spot.

• Separate risks – When you are dealing with multiple risks, you should deal with them one at a time. If you are driving in the rain and someone is tail-gaiting you, you are dealing with multiple risks. You have to remain safe due to the weather, but you also have to get away from a driver following too close. Be deliberate, check your surroundings, and when it is safe to do so, change lanes to get away from the risk you have been presented with.

• Cut out distractions – There is so much to distract us while driving. Stay off the phone, and if you are in the car with children, do not react to what they are doing. If they are doing something unsafe, get yourself to a safe location to stop before taking care of the situation.

Remember that a car is an extremely heavy object that cannot stop or turn on a dime. You have a responsibility to other drivers and pedestrians to remain safe. Now that the roads are getting back to Pre-COVID levels of traffic remember to be careful.