Car crashes are the deadliest event that most people would ever encounter. Whether they are directly your fault or the fault of the other driver, both cars are at serious risk when they occur. Although you are relatively powerless when involved in a car crash, there are a few things you can do before and after to increase your chances of survival. Taking pictures, and notes of your health and your car’s damage for your San Antonio car accident attorney is a great first step.
Preparing in Advance
Even a minor fender-bender can injure you if your car doesn’t have the proper safety systems, or if you were sitting improperly or neglecting to wear your seat belt. At the minimum, your car should always have functional airbags and seatbelts. These alone will significantly decrease the chances of death and even injury if you have an accident.
If you are buying a new car and have the option of including something like OnStar, you may want to do that. It is a simple and effective way of informing authorities immediately when you experience an accident.
Of course, you will want to avoid an accident whenever possible. If you can see a dangerous situation ahead of you, brake or accelerate accordingly so that you can stay away from it. If you have any control at all when you are about to crash, try to ensure that your car is hit in the front or back. Since the sides are the weakest and, therefore, most dangerous part of the car to be hit, this will help you. Also be sure not to duck or cover your head, as this will lower the chances of your car’s automatic safety systems to be effective.
Although it is legal to use your phone while driving in the Rio Grande Valley and throughout Texas, you should avoid it. Talking on your phone, texting, or any other distractions can get you into trouble on the road. Don’t talk to your friends who are all chatting in the car – focus on the road. If you aren’t driving, focus on the way you are sitting: don’t put your feet on the dashboard, sit up straight, and keep your seat belt on correctly whenever the car is on.
Survival After the Fact
No matter what is happening, you need to avoid panicking at all costs. If you allow yourself to give way to panic, you won’t be able to think quickly and clearly. Take a few deep breaths, then take action.
If your or another car is on fire, make sure to move yourself and any other person away from it as soon as possible. A fire can lead to an explosion.
If your car lands in the water, you need to get out of the vehicle, in any way you can, as soon as possible. Once the car dips below water, you won’t be able to open the door because of the enormous amount of water pressure on the outside. Therefore, try opening your window. If this is also impossible, do not panic. Still try getting out by slamming a foot or heavy object into the window to break it. Once again, this may still be impossible – if this is the case, don’t forget to stay calm because you will soon get out. Basically, you just need to wait until the pressure is normalized. It could take a few seconds or several minutes, depending on your car and the type of body of water.
The pressure will normalize as soon as your car is filled with water. This means that, as the water level is reaching your head, you should take a deep breath and hold it until you are able to open the door. The pressure will normalize and you will be able to escape, as long as you don’t panic.
The Villarreal & Begum, LAW GUNS dedicates their time and effort towards helping people in Texas find justice for personal negligence encountered while living their normal, everyday lives.