Many steps have been taken to reduce the frequency of auto accidents, such as outlawing drunk driving or distracted driving and creating technology that helps people drive safely. But there is never anything that can be done to entirely eliminate these accidents, said there are always going to be injuries and fatalities.
To this end, it’s important to think about ways to reduce these serious injuries and traffic deaths. If the crashes are still going to happen, how is it possible to get these numbers down? As it turns out, there’s one very simple thing you can do: Slow down.
Even a small change makes a difference
It doesn’t take much to impact the statistics. For instance, one study discovered that reducing the average speed by a single mile per hour on city streets could reduce fatalities on those streets by up to 6%.
That’s an incredible amount of change considering most people wouldn’t even know the difference between going 29 miles an hour and 30 miles an hour. It’s not going to change your day at all or affect your schedule. But it can certainly reduce the odds that you will be seriously injured if you get involved in a crash. If everyone did this, the numbers could consistently drop and lives could be saved.
This is especially true for pedestrian accidents. Pedestrians in particular see their odds of passing away in an accident increase dramatically as speed goes up. Dropping speed by five miles an hour will not only mean that fewer accidents happen but that the people involved are not nearly as badly injured.
Unfortunately, it can be difficult to get everyone to drive safely, so make sure you also know what legal options you have if someone else has injured you.