Los Angeles is known for its beautiful beaches, celebrity sightings, and its infamous traffic. If you’ve ever driven in Los Angeles, you’ll know it isn’t always a walk in the park.
While you may be following the rules of the road, there are unfortunately reckless drivers that can put people in danger. So if you’re a Los Angeles driver, here is how to respond when drivers aren’t safe.
Table Of Contents
Defensive Driving
We can’t always control drivers around us, so it’s important to know tactics to keep ourselves safe when others are being reckless. You can try practicing defensive driving if there are unsafe drivers around you.
Defensive driving means working on tactics to make sure you are always being a safe driver and using your best judgment. This includes crash prevention techniques that you can think about while you’re on the road. Here are some of the elements of defensive driving you can apply to your technique.
- Be aware of your surroundings
- Know your stopping distance and be aware of your proximity to other drivers
- Share the road
- Right of Way
Defensive driving also includes making smart decisions before you get behind the wheel. Never drive while under the influence of substances.
You should also take a second to evaluate your psychological state before getting behind the wheel. If you have just had an argument with someone, it might be better to wait a couple of minutes to cool down. Driving with a level head will help keep you alert and safe.
Don’t Engage in Road Rage
Road rage. We’ve all been there. You’re trying to get off of a busy exit and someone comes in and cuts you off right at the last second. It’s natural to be upset and angered by other drivers that are causing unsafe situations. However, you can’t let road rage get the best of you.
Driving with road rage can easily get you into dangerous situations. Unfortunately, you can’t control how others react to road rage. Some people can get so worked up on the road, that they target others that they feel are getting in their way.
If you feel like you’ve become the target of someone else’s road rage, the best thing to do is to not engage. If you are on the highway, move over to a different lane and let the person with road rage go by you. Try not to look over and allow them to get angry with you while passing. If you are on a small road, you can try driving off a side road to let them pass.
If you ever feel that you are in danger from someone following you with road rage, you can always call 911 and get extra help. If you allow yourself to not engage with road rage, you will hopefully be able to let the person go around you and avoid a dangerous situation.
Know What to Do in an Emergency
Even if we are practicing safe driving, accidents unfortunately happen. You can respond accordingly if you know what to do in an emergency.
If you are driving and see an accident occur, first assess the severity of the accident. If it’s a little fender bender, the people involved should be able to handle it without you stopping and adding to the scene. If it is a bad accident and the people involved are injured, you can do your part and call 911 to the scene. You can even help those injured by being a witness for them in the future.
If you are the one that is involved in a car accident, first make sure that you are safely out of the way of traffic. You should then call the police to keep the scene clear and get a report of the accident.
If you are in a bad car accident, you should hire a legal team to help you afterward. Working with knowledgeable attorneys in Los Angeles like JT Legal Group will help you get the compensation you deserve from your car accident.
An experienced car accident lawyer will know exactly what claims to file for personal injury. Helping you along the way to get back to your normal life after a reckless driver caused a bump in the road.
Conclusion
You can enjoy a beautiful day cruising down the PCH with the windows down if you are a safe driver. Unfortunately, not everyone is going to follow the rules. So these are just some ways that you can respond to Los Angeles drivers that aren’t safe on the road.
