Driving can be a risky business. Even if you’re the safest driver on the road, there’s no way of telling whether others around you are taking the same precautions. Statistics from insurance companies suggest that on average, a driver gets into an accident once every eighteen years. Of course, this would be more often for dangerous drivers and less often for safe ones, but the numbers still don’t make for great reading. At JD’s Auto Repair, we hope you never have to experience being in a car accident of any kind, but we also think it’s important to know what to do if you are! Here are the main things you should do.

Keep your vehicle well maintained

Vehicle maintenance is for much more than saving on future repairs and keeping your car running for longer – it’s also about keeping you and others around you safe on the road. A huge amount of accidents happen as a result of under-maintained vehicles, whether it be blowouts from overused tires, loss of control due to under-maintained brakes, or engine fires from poorly maintained engines. All of these points should be regularly addressed to minimize the chance of anything happening that could endanger your or your family’s lives!

What to do in the aftermath of an accident

Depending on the seriousness of the accident, there are some steps you should take to ensure you and those around you stay safe in the immediate aftermath of a crash of any kind. Of course, this becomes even more difficult to remember as shock sets in or injuries impair your judgment, but it’s a good idea to try and stick to these rules when possible.

• Call 911 to attend to anyone who is seriously injured – do not attempt to move anyone that’s seriously injured, but do apply first aid if necessary.
• Move any vehicles that are safe to do so out of the way to avoid further collisions with oncoming traffic.
• Once the area is clear and medical attention has been given to those who may need it, set up a safe zone around the accident area using the safety triangle or flares in your car – this should be about 200 feet from your vehicle on the side of oncoming traffic to give drivers enough warning to avoid the site of the accident.
• Use a camera or cell phone camera to take plenty of pictures of the accident site – especially regarding the damage to both vehicles. This not only helps a great deal with your insurance claim but could be a vital piece of evidence if there was any type of police investigation into the event.
• Exchange insurance details with anyone else involved in the accident.

Being prepared

Knowing what to do isn’t all you need to know. It’s also important to have a fully functioning emergency kit in case you find yourself in this unfortunate situation. This should include at least:

• Fire extinguisher
• Sharp knife – good for cutting through seatbelts should someone need medical attention
• Tool kit with good basic tools
• Jumper cables
• Duct tape
• Insurance documents
• Power bank for charging cell phones should you have an accident in a remote area
• Flashlight
• First aid kit
• Triangles or flares
• Deicer and an ice scraper

If you find yourself in an accident, there are some things you can do to really help the situation. It’s a good idea to keep your car well maintained to ensure you don’t have any problems that could result in an accident. If you’d like to ensure your vehicle is well maintained, bring it down to JD’s Auto Repair where it will be given a full service to minimize the risk of an accident when you’re out on the road.