When there’s a hazard in the road, many drivers feel inclined to swerve. After all, they only have a split second to decide what to do. Their brain tells them that they need to avoid the accident, and the easiest way to do it is to swerve around the hazard.
But that doesn’t mean this is always the right idea. In some cases, swerving can make things much worse.
Causing a more significant accident
For instance, imagine that a deer runs into the road. If a driver hits the brakes, they may be able to slow down and hit the deer at a relatively low speed, damaging their car but avoiding injuries.
But what if they swerve to the right, leave the road and strike a building, a telephone pole, a signpost or a tree? The injuries could be vastly more severe than if they had just slowed down. But their inclination to “avoid” the crash – actually causing a much worse crash – was too strong in the split second they had to make the decision.
Things get even more problematic when drivers swerve to the left. This takes them into oncoming traffic. If two vehicles are traveling at 60 miles an hour, they will collide with a combined speed of 120 miles an hour. A high-speed head-on collision carries a very high risk of a fatality. It would be much safer, in many cases, for the driver to simply reduce their speed as much as possible before striking the stationary object.
Unfortunately, many drivers make mistakes in these urgent situations. If you have been injured due to someone else’s actions, be sure you know how to seek financial compensation.