Survive your drive with these tips from Walter Irvine, an instructor at the Skip Barber Racing School, in Lakeville, Connecticut.

What If...?

… a car is heading straight toward you in your lane?
“Try to get their attention [honk, flash your lights], but also look ahead and plan for an evasive reaction. Do not stare at the oncoming vehicle,” because your car follows your line of sight. “Look where you want to go, not where you are heading.”

...a car is tailgating you and honking wildly?
“Pull over and let it by.”

… a car is swerving ahead of you and the driver is clearly impaired?
“Give him room, do not tailgate, and, again, do not fixate on him.”

… a deer darts in front of your car?
“Calmly attempt to avoid it with as little braking and steering as you can.”

… you come to a four-way stop?
“Always try to establish eye contact with drivers waiting to proceed. If you see them looking at you, you know it is safe.”

… you’re blinded by the sun?
“Don’t overreact by slamming on the brakes or swerving. Continue on your path so you are predictable to other vehicles.”

... you get a yellow light as you approach an intersection?
“You should never go through a yellow light if you have the ability to stop safely.”

… you’re about to be rear-ended?
“Take your foot off the brake. If the car behind you hits you, the impact will be lessened if your car can roll forward.”

If you or someone you know has been seriously injured or killed in an automobile accident, contact the West Virginia Auto Accident Attorneys of Colombo & Stuhr PLLC at 800-860-1414.

As a West Virginia injury lawyer handling truck accidents, I have found the web site published by the Truck Safety Coalition very helpful. The organization is a partnership between The Citizens for Reliable and Safe Highways (CRASH) Foundation, and Parents Against Tired Truckers (P.A.T.T). The Truck Safety Coalition is dedicated to reducing the number of deaths and injuries caused by truck-related crashes, providing compassionate support to truck crash survivors and families of truck crash victims, and educating the public, policy-makers and media about truck safety issues.

Recently, the Truck Safety Coalition issued a report card based on truck accidents that have occurred throughout the U.S., ranking the worst truck accident states. The Truck Safety Coalition looked at the number of truck accident deaths that occurred for every 100,000 people. Over 114,000 people were injured in truck accidents in 2005, and 5,200 people were killed in truck accidents, making the average number of truck accidents with fatalities 1.76 deaths for every 100,000 people.

West Virginia ranked as one of the 10 states with the highest average of truck accident deaths per population. Others included Kentucky, Kansas and South Carolina.

If you or someone you know has been seriously injured or killed in a truck accident, contact the West Virginia Truck Accident Attorneys of Colombo & Stuhr PLLC at 800-860-1414.