| What
To Do If You Get Into An Accident
Perhaps one of the most terrifying happenings
in a driver’s life is the nearly-guaranteed-to-happen-at-least-once-before-you’re-too-old-to-drive
car accident. When this happens, be prepared,
be safe, and be smart. Follow these simple instructions
if you happen to find yourself with the front
end of your car smashed into a guardrail.
Shut off the car. If the gas tank is damaged
or punctured, you don’t want the hot fumes
to ignite a spark. Then the dent in the side of
the passenger door would be the least of your
problems.
Check the passengers. Are they ok? Any broken
bones? Extensive bleeding? Call 911 if needed.
If another car was involved, go talk to the driver.
Exchange insurance information, phone numbers,
and such. It doesn’t matter if you’re
the world’s greatest driver; the other person
probably doesn’t know that yet; don’t
accuse.
Call the police and file a report. Then call
the insurance company.
Go home and pretend it
never happened.
Not really. Unless you want your car to remain
damaged. If the insurance company recommends that
you get your car repaired at a Direct Repair Facility
(D.R.P. facility), it might be in your best interest
to follow the company’s advice. They recommend
the D.R.P.’s because they know the repair
shop won’t take its sweet time in fixing
your automobile to the condition it was* before
you smashed into the tree. D.R.P philosophy is
to make getting your car repaired as painlessly
as possible. The arm in the sling is evidence
that you’ve been in enough pain as it is.
Sure you could get similar service from other
non-D.R.P. places, but then you’d actually
have to go out and look for it. Why not make the
insurance company do all the work?
* Insurance companies entitle you to having your
car repaired to the way it was before the crash.
So if it was a piece of garbage before, it will
be a piece of garbage after. No use trying to
convince State Farm that that wreck that looks
like it used to be a mini-van was actually once
a 1967 hot rod. Yet it is your decision about
what type of parts to fix the car with: Original
Equipment (OEM) or non-original Equipment (After-Market).
Regardless of your choice, the parts must be of
Like Kind and Quality (L.KQ.). The repair shop
should recommend which would be the better choice
in your given situation.
There are certain features that a car can have
to make sure it is better prepared for the hazards
of the road. Make sure your car is equipped with
them before you drive 100 mph on a dark highway.
While anti-lock brakes can’t promise that
they will prevent you from getting into an accident,
they are a key factor in avoiding collisions.
They prevent the wheel from locking when you slam
your foot on the brake in alarm so you can actually
swerve out of the way of the deer standing dumb-founded
in the middle of the road. Yet, the total benefits
of anti-lock brakes only come with those cars
that are equipped with it on all four wheels.
Cars what have it on only two wheels can in fact
cause the front wheels to lock up when you slam
on the breaks, which can ultimately result in
loss of steering control.
One of the peskiest things a driver can encounter
is the guy following way too close with his brights
shining blindingly into the rearview mirror. Get
a car with automatic dimming rearview mirrors.
Typical cars have the manual switch you can use
to reduce that annoying light. Automatic ones,
instead of allowing you to look at the road at
a different angle, get dimmer as the glare in
the mirror gets brighter. Some cars even have
outside mirrors that automatically tint.
Ceilings of cars may be equipped with head injury
protection, which is foam or a similar material
that absorbs energy and cannot be seen from riders
in the car. Some cars even have air bags for the
head. Both functions protect a head when it hits
the top part of a car.
That nifty little headrest that is on the back
of the seat is actually a head restraint. It limits
a head’s movement during a crash and can
reduce the possibility of a neck sprain. Restraints
are adjustable for your safety and can be most
effective when then top of the restraint is between
the top or your ears and the top of your head.
The restraint should allow your head to rest parallel
with your neck and not push your head forward
or allow you to lean it back.
Traction control improves stability, so when
you slam on your break to try and outrun that
drunk guy behind you, you have a better chance
of actually going somewhere versus weaving out
of control like an old man on water skis. This
system controls and adjusts engine power and can
apply brakes to certain wheels when you accelerate.
This is most commonly found on cars with four-wheel
drive and anti-lock brakes.
While accidents are bound to happen, you can
at least equip your car so that they occur less
often.
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