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No Victims

Take control to avoid car crashes

Refuse to be an auto-accident victim.

Bad things happen to victims. Victims have no power to avoid unfortunate situations. Other drivers run red lights, stop suddenly, make unexpected turns and come out of nowhere. Roads get slick. Visibility deteriorates. Tires fail. Cars lose control. "Victims" crash. There's nothing a victim can do about it. It's as if accidents are preordained. If you think of yourself as a powerless victim, perhaps car crashes ARE inevitable.

You Have Power

The truth is you have the power to avoid virtually every accident. Start by refusing to be a victim. You have the power to identify red-light runners, sudden stoppers, random turners and comers-out-of-nowhere in time to take effective avoidance action. Be in tune with the road and it's easy to spot deteriorating conditions. You can prevent tires from failing and your car from going out of control. If things still go wrong, accept that you're an "accident participant" not an "accident victim."

Here are some simple things you can do to take control and refuse to be a victim.

See and Be Seen

A common phrase among accident victims is "I never saw the other guy until the last moment." Sometimes the drivers of BOTH cars say this. Make sure you can both see and be seen.

Turn on your headlights—not just the parking lights—whenever visibility is low: from at least 30 minutes before sunset until and a half hour after sunrise, when it's raining (even if it's just drizzling) or it's foggy. This is so you will BE SEEN during the most dangerous driving times. Switch on your headlights whenever you're on a two-lane highway, even in bright daylight. Burn your headlights when others have theirs on: The other guys are trying to tell you that they're having trouble seeing you! (You aren't saving electricity, gasoline or your headlights by not using them.)

Keep your windshield and side windows clean, inside and out. Use an anti-fog compound on the inside and a water-repellant on the outside. If the interior fogs up, turn on your air conditioner and turn the selector to outside air, not recirculation.

Rubber wears out, so replace windshield wipers every nine months or so. Keep your windshield washer fluid full.

Set your mirrors to avoid blind spots. If you can see the side of your car in the exterior mirrors, they are set INCORRECTLY and are largely useless. For the correct setting, imagine your mirrors as three photographs pasted together to make a panorama of the road behind you: The images on the outside edges of the interior mirror should overlap those on the inside edges of the exterior mirrors.

Give Yourself the Best Chance

Modern technology is amazing. Take full advantage of it.

Buy a car with anti-lock brakes and electronic stability control. These computer-based driving aids will perform amazing feats to help you avoid accidents. It's like having Jeff Gordon—or your guardian angel—take the wheel during emergency situations.

In the market for a used car? Make sure it's '97 or newer model to get upgraded side-impact standards.

Tires are the single most important safety component—other than the driver—on a car. Buy high-quality tires and maintain them. Sure they're expensive, but think about it this way: If you're going sky-diving, would you buy a bargain parachute? Check your tire pressures monthly and make sure they are AT LEAST what the vehicle manufacturer recommends: Three—or even five—psi high is better than one low. There's little penalty for being a little high, but the ability to resist deep water is severely reduced if the pressure is even slightly low. Low pressure also is the leading cause for tire failure. Imagine repeatedly bending a wire coat hanger: That's what's happening to the interior structure of a tire with inadequate pressure. The damage will not be visible, but may be fatal. If your tires have been run under 20 psi for any distance—or slammed into a curb or a big pothole—have a tire dealer demount and inspect them.

Don't squeeze the last few thousand miles out of your tires. Tires are a lot like people: Near the end of their life they don't perform nearly as well as when they're young. A tire's ability to resist deep water is severely compromised by the time it reaches 4/32-inch tread depth. Tires die of old age, too: Replace tires at least every six years, regardless of tread depth remaining.

Know Your Car—and Yourself

Sadly, the first time most drivers explore their car's capability is in an emergency. Those who refuse to be victims know the ability of their car—and themselves.

Start by learning the edges of your car, so that you will instinctively know if you can drive around or through a bad situation. One way to do this: Intentionally run over the "Bott's Dots" raised lane markers. Also, you can create marker poles with PVC pipe and "T" connectors. Place them a foot wider than your car and practice driving through them.

Next, explore braking ability. If you have ABS, find a vacant parking lot. POUND the brake pedal and hold it down. You'll be shocked at how quickly your car stops. One of ABS' greatest benefits is that it allows you to steer during maximum effort braking, so practice turning while braking. Without ABS, squeeze the pedal aggressively, but avoid locking the wheels as that will damage the tires and, if the rears lock first, the car may spin out.

To learn you car's handling ability, enter an autocross hosted by your local car club: Any well-maintained street car is eligible and no special safety equipment is required (though tire wear will be accelerated). Some clubs host inexpensive autocross driving schools for novices. A cheap—and entertaining—way to learn how to "turn in the direction of the skid" is to spend some time on your local fun-park's kart slick track.

Follow these tips and you'll be well on your way to shaking victim-hood.