Staying safe in bumper-to-bumper traffic can be a bit challenging.
In most cases, conventional driving wisdom requires you to maintain 3 car lengths worth of room between you and other vehicles in front of and behind you (in most situations at least).
This can also be described as the ‘3-second rule.’
With that being said, it’s also true that this is difficult to do in most situations.
And it almost never happens in real-life scenarios.
For better or for worse, in most cases and on most crowded highways, bumper-to-bumper traffic is going to be normal.
It’s going to reduce reaction time, give you less room to maneuver, and is just in general going to expose you to a lot more danger than you would otherwise need to contend with while driving.
So in this post, we’re going to dig deep into the topic of ‘how to stay safe when you’re in bumper-to-bumper traffic.’
Hopefully, this post will give you everything you need to start making snap driving decisions that’ll lead you to lower accident risk.
Let’s dive into it.
1. Maintain As Much Distance As Possible
When driving, you don’t have any control over what the car behind you is going to do.
But you do have control over how close you get to the car in front of you.
For best results, try to stay at least a couple of car-lengths behind that car.
This will allow other cars a bit more room to maneuver if they need to change lanes.
But even more importantly, it’ll help you to keep enough distance to have at least a bit of reaction time if something goes wrong with the cars ahead of you.
That extra second that you gain from leaving some space in front of you may actually mean the difference between a ‘fender bender’ and a ‘close call,’ and that’s actually a pretty important difference.
2. Give Yourself Plenty Of Time
One of the most stressful (and dangerous) things about bumper-to-bumper traffic is the fact that everyone is in a hurry—because it slows down progress and crunches everyone for time.
With that being said—if you know that you’re going to be getting stuck in thick traffic, you can do yourself some favors by leaving earlier and/or giving yourself more time for traveling.
This can really help to cut down on stress.
But it can also really help you to avoid making costly errors due to trying to hurry and get somewhere within a certain timeframe.
3. Get A Car Accident Attorney
Having an attorney in your back pocket can help to cut down on that ‘stress’ and ‘dread’ you may feel over the fear of getting into an accident.
Accidents can be expensive.
And personal injuries due to car accidents (especially in highly populated affluent neighborhoods like Beverly Hills) can really up the ante in terms of stress.
Finding the right representation as a proactive measure can bring you a lot of peace of mind, and help you to keep from making costly mistakes based purely on your anxiety levels.
4. Try To Relax
A lot of people dread that bumper-to-bumper drive time.
But the reason for this is pretty simple.
They see it as a futile waste of their valuable time and day.
But it doesn’t have to be this way.
For example—you could turn your car ride into a relaxing and useful part of your day by taking a few proactive steps.
If you:
- Leave earlier
- Pack yourself some snacks and/or some refreshing beverages
- Learn new things by listening to audiobooks and/or podcasts
- Listen to talk shows or music that you enjoy
- And just in-general make your car ride a part of your day that you can look forward to
This can really help you to cut back on that stress, relax more, and just in-general make your car ride something that adds to your day as opposed to taking away from it.
When you incorporate these things into your daily commute routine, you’ll further reduce your stress and give yourself your best odds for arriving safely and securely at your destination.
Conclusion
Now you know exactly how to stay safe while driving in bumper-to-bumper traffic.
You’ve got this!
All that’s left now is to get out there and make it happen.
