Accident Safety
Being in a motor vehicle accident is tremendously scary. They are loud, violent, and being in a state of no control over the situation can lead to many emotions. But planning ahead and being calm in the situation can prevent further injuries.
There are several important things to remember after you’ve been involved in an accident. We won’t go into the insurance related issues, and we just want you to be as safe as possible to prevent any further injury.
Forty-seven percent of all traffic accidents are caused by either speeding or distractions. Our cars move faster than they ever did and rarely do we only have concentrating on the road on our minds. Keep these words in mind after an accident: Stay Calm.
Calmly call 911 after an accident to activate emergency services. Knowing details allows dispatchers to activate the appropriate number of apparatuses to treat and transport the injured. Stay on the phone with dispatchers to provide important information as the scene may change.
Stay in your vehicle.
For the most part, staying in your vehicle is the safest place you can be. If your vehicle is in the roadway and another uninvolved driver is distracted, they are likely to strike your vehicle and also you. We often see people on the highways here in Jasper County surveying the damage and they are dangerously close to the vehicles and/or roadway. It is a recipe for disaster.
There are very tragic deaths each year from people exiting their cars on or near a roadway to examine a minor fender-bender and inadvertently being struck and killed by other vehicles. But here is the exception. If you are in an accident where your car can not be moved from the roadway (middle of the interstate), you smell gas, or has signs of fire, move as far from the vehicle as you can.
You might notice on the interstate some very smart people who have broken down and they are sitting 30-50 feet away up on the embankment, very wise people. Should a distracted driver strike their car, they have a chance in escaping injury from the collision.
Stay buckled in. Staying buckled prevents some injuries from being worse. It also protects you should your vehicle get hit again from you being thrown around or from the vehicle.
If possible, calmly move your vehicle out of the roadway. Georgia Law (O.C.G.A. § 40-6-275(c)) provides that if there is no serious personal injury or death that able drivers can and should move their vehicles out of the roadway to a safe refuge to wait for police or public safety. And by all means, stay at the scene.
We certainly hope you are never involved in a crash. But should you be, stay calm. Your police, fire, and EMS will respond to care for you and your loved ones. Wishing a safe closure to the summer and an exciting start to the school year!
