Steering Clear

Major-accident investigators see the worst of what happens when drivers make mistakes. More than 3,400 people are killed in traffic accidents each year in California, and more than 250,000 are injured.

Fatal and injury accidents have declined this decade--in part because of safer cars and better medical care--but room for improvement remains.

Many accidents could be prevented if motorists had better skills, say California Highway Patrol officers, who are often the first at the scene.

With only seconds to react, preparation is the best weapon for avoiding and surviving crashes, says Kerrie Hawkins, head of the CHP’s Los Angeles Major Accident Investigation Team.

“If you’re looking for a way out when the crash is happening, it’s already too late,” Hawkins said. “You need to know ahead of time what you’re going to do.”

How to Drive Safely

Here’s what you can do to make your drive safer:

* Raise your driving horizon. Many, if not most, drivers look only at the car ahead of them, giving them little time to react when brake lights appear. By checking out what’s going on farther down the road, a driver gets more time to react--seeing stopped cars or an accident before getting right on top of it.

* When a crisis happens, resist the urge to hit the gas or the brakes. “Many drivers want to accelerate or slam on the brakes right away. The best choice is to do neither,” Hawkins said. Either reaction, although natural, causes a driver to lose control and possibly lose the chance to avoid hitting a vehicle.

* Look for “escape hatches,” or ways to avoid cars on all sides of you, every time you drive. If you are thinking of where you could steer the car when things are calm, you’re likely to follow that plan if a crisis arises.

* Going around small objects is not always the safest choice. Whether it’s an animal in a roadway or a tire rolling at you, running into whatever is in your path is sometimes better than swerving into other vehicles. In heavy traffic there might not be room to go around. Hawkins said she once saw a six-car pileup in which several people were seriously injured on the San Diego Freeway when a car tried to avoid a dog. “I love animals,” she said, “but it’s not worth risking death.”

* Don’t outrun your headlights on dark roads. You should be able to bring your car to a stop within the area your headlights are lighting--otherwise you are driving with a dangerous blind spot and too little time to react.

* Avoid the fast lane on highways on weekend nights. Wrong-way drivers, often people driving under the influence, are most often found in the fast lane. A study of 70 such collisions in Los Angeles County found that the drivers had gotten on the highways going the wrong direction and then chose to “be careful” by driving in what they thought was the slow lane. Head-on collisions are among the most fatal of accidents.

* Slow down in the rain. In Southern California, where the weather is often fair, many motorists are unaccustomed to driving in rain. Rain decreases visibility, traction and reaction time.

* On freeways, pass on the left. Although it’s not illegal in California to pass on the right, doing so increases the time you spend in the other driver’s blind spot.

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Common Moving Violations

Many people think the only time they will be pulled over by a California Highway Patrol officer if they make a moving violation, such a speeding or inproper lane change. But the CHP also agressively monitors car equipment violations that officials said create safety problems. Here is a rundown of the most common equipment violations cited by the CHP:

* Registration Papers Not Available

* No Mirror On Left

* Damaged or Inoperative Rear Lighting

* Tape on Taillamps

* Fuel Cap Missing

* Tinted Forward Windows

* Red or Amber Bug Screens or Covered Headlamps

* No Windshield Wipers

* Headlamps Out

* Fog Lights - improper height/out of adjustment

* No Front License Plate

* Expired Registration

* Inproper aftermarket Flashing Brake Lights

* Modulating Headlamps During Hours of Darkness

* Passenger in Front of Driver

* Muffler Exceeding Noise Limits

Source: CHP