While the vast majority of auto accidents are unavoidable, a skilled driver can minimize the chances of serious injury to all those in the car by being aware of a few simple driving tips. In many cases, the difference between a horrifying wreck and a crash which is survivable could be the brake pedal you neglected to hit or the clearing you failed to look for. While defensive driving can involve making decisions which feel counterintuitive, keep in mind that an accident occurs in a fraction of a second, and learning how to anticipate other driver’s actions can help you survive the accident.

Remember What your Parents Told You—Steer to the Right

Metal, fiberglass and glass can be repaired, but sometimes bodies cannot. If there is a potential accident looming ahead of you such as a multi-car pile-up or a car driving the wrong way, your natural reaction should be to steer to the right. Yes, there may be a guard rail, a fence or a tree in your way, but keep in mind that none of those objects will be traveling at high rates of speed. If you turn to the left you may find yourself in a deadly head-on collision should you cross the median, and if you keep your car going straight, you will end up hitting the car in front of you, and the car in back will likely hit you, and so on. Most roadways have some clearance on the right hand side of the road, and this space is intended for driving emergencies, so use it in any way which will avoid a worse accident.

Accelerate, Don’t Brake

It is most people’s instinct to brake in response to a driving threat, but in some cases you could lessen your chance of serious injury by accelerating instead. When you brake at a high rate of speed, you have effectively limited your maneuverability and will probably still plow into the car ahead of you. Instead of braking, try to anticipate the other driver’s actions and look for an opportunity to accelerate out of the accident, possibly on the right hand side, if it’s clear. Although you are not trained to drive like a NASCAR driver, you may need to think like one in the face of an auto accident.

If a Crash is Unavoidable, Minimize the Damage

Your primary goal should be to avoid head-on collisions with another vehicle or a front-end collision at a high rate of speed into a large immovable object such as a concrete barrier. Do as much as you possibly can to control your speed in the event of an impending accident. Obviously, the faster you are driving, the more damage you will sustain. Your car is weaker, structurally speaking, on the sides, so avoid a side impact if at all possible. If you see another car headed toward you, accelerating might allow the car to hit the rear side of your car rather than dead center.

Don’t bend over or cover your head in response to an impending accident—the damage your neck will sustain when the air bag hits your head will be much worse than if you had remained upright. Never drive or ride in a car which is not outfitted with safety belts and other safety features, and make sure those safety features are regularly serviced. Store objects within your car where they will not fly up and hit you in the event of a car crash. Even small objects can become lethal flying projectiles during a collision. Above all, remain focused and calm and you vastly improve your chances of coming through an accident alive. If you’ve been the victim of an automobile accident, contact a Mississippi personal injury attorney from our law firm immediately to give us all the particulars of the accident so we can best represent your interests.