How to Stay Safe When Navigating an Intersection as a Motorist
Many car accidents occur daily, and as a driver, you should know how they mostly occur. Even though one might happen anywhere and at any time, you can notice certain patterns if you study crash stats. For instance, a simple glance at car accident patterns will reveal that they happen at intersections very often.
This makes perfect sense when you think about it. Intersections set up cars to pass one another while going in different directions. If a driver makes a mistake in these moments, two vehicles can collide.
You should know about common causes of accidents at busy intersections, and we will discuss them in this article. We’ll also talk about what you can do as a driver that makes these accident types less likely.
Not Waiting to Make a Right-Hand Turn
If you’re approaching a four-way intersection as a driver, maybe you’re making a right-hand turn on a red light. You can legally do this in many states. It’s illegal in some of them, though, so know the law before you attempt it.
In states where you can legally turn right on red at an intersection, you can only do so as a driver when you see no cars coming. The vehicles going through the light ahead of you have the right of way. You can only go when you see that the coast is clear.
If you inch forward and you’re looking left to see whether a car is coming, you must be absolutely sure you can make that right-hand turn before an approaching vehicle arrives. This means you must judge the speed at which a car approaches from your left-hand side, and you must also consider its distance from you.
Some accidents happen because cars turning right on red misjudge an approaching car’s speed or distance. If you turn right on red, and a car hits you approaching from your left-hand side, that’s your fault. Remember that if you do this, you don’t have the right of way. The approaching car does. It’s fine to wait for a red light to turn green before turning, even if other drivers behind you get impatient and start honking.
Speeding Up to Get Through a Yellow Light
Other times, you might cause an accident at a four-way intersection if you see a light turning yellow. In those moments, if you can get through the intersection before the yellow light turns red, you can go. Ideally, you should make it through the intersection and clear it entirely with the light still yellow.
This means you should go when the light turns from green to yellow but not when it turns from yellow to red. Too many drivers speed up, thinking they can get through the intersection before they get a red signal. A police officer who sees you doing this can ticket you if you don’t clear the intersection in time. You also risk a car accident if some impatient person hits the gas on either side of you the moment they get a green light.
Changing Lanes While Going Through an Intersection
Some drivers don’t know this, but you shouldn’t switch lanes while in the middle of an intersection, even if you signal. You should wait till you clear the intersection before signaling and changing lanes.
If you do it while in the intersection, and you didn’t check to your left or right, depending which lane you’re getting into, you might hit a driver alongside you. The police call this a sideswipe collision, and it’s your fault if it happens.
A safety feature on some cars lets you know when there’s a vehicle alongside you. You’ll hear a warning sound, see a light appear on your side mirror, or both. That’s helpful, but you shouldn’t need that to avoid an accident in an intersection. By waiting till you clear the intersection before changing lanes, you’ll stay safe and protect the drivers around you as well.
Speeding
Shooting through an intersection over the speed limit makes a car wreck more likely. You might lose control while turning or trying to get through a changing light. Speeding anywhere increases your car accident chances, and that’s certainly true when you’re in an intersection with other cars all around you.
Driving While Intoxicated
Driving while intoxicated also increases your accident chances, whether you’re in an intersection or anywhere else. Avoid ingesting alcohol or other intoxicants before driving. You should also monitor how you feel after consuming prescription medications since some can make you dizzy or lightheaded.
If you’re feeling a prescription medication’s impact, you shouldn’t drive. You can wait till the feelings pass or have someone else drive you instead.
Turning Left on a Green Light and Not a Green Arrow
In four-way intersections, maybe you’re turning left. You’ve pulled into the middle of the intersection, and you’re waiting for a light to change in your favor.
You can legally go if you have a green light, but only if you don’t see a car coming in the opposite direction. In these situations, the vehicle approaching has the right of way, not the car making the left turn.
You have two choices. You must either wait till you see no cars coming and then make the left turn safely, or else you can wait till you get a green arrow. When you see the green arrow, you have the right of way, and you can go.
However, you won’t get a green arrow at all intersections. In those cases, you must wait till you see no drivers approaching from the other direction, and then you can turn left. Maybe you must wait till you see a yellow light before you can make that turn. Only then will cars stop coming from the other direction.
Remember these rules and tips when you approach intersections as a driver. What we described can keep you safe and help you avoid costly and potentially dangerous collisions.
Image credit: Depositphotos