T-Bone Collision Prevention Tips for Charlotte Motorists

Intersections are one of the top sites of motor vehicle accidents because too many drivers make unsafe choices or careless mistakes in this driving environment. There are 32 potential conflict points where vehicles could collide in intersections. 

An experienced T-Bone accident attorney knows one of the most common types of car accidents occurs when one vehicle hits the side of another at an intersection. These are called T-Bone accidents because the shape formed by the vehicles resembles a T. These are dangerous accidents because there is little protection from collision force of impact along the sides of vehicles.

Prevention of T-Bone accidents must be the goal of every motorist approaching an intersection in order to avoid a deadly crash. Too many drivers fail to operate their vehicles in a defensive way, thus putting themselves and passengers at risk.

Safety Tips to Prevent a T-Bone Accident

There are steps you can take as you approach an intersection in order to reduce the potential for a side impact collision. To prevent T-Bone crashes:

• Obey all traffic lights and stop signs at all times. Slow down for yellow lights. Stop for stop signs, flashing red lights, and red lights.
• Come to a complete stop when you approach a stop sign. Do not try to enter an intersection with the hopes of turning after the light as turned red; instead, wait for a light telling you to turn or a gap in traffic.
• Do not assume other motorists are always going to obey all traffic lights. Counting on someone else to stop at a red or to slow down at a yellow could be deadly. Be sure to check the intersection is clear and traffic on cross streets is stopped before you enter an intersection.
• Exercise extra care at intersections controlled only by stop signs. Motorists sometimes do not understand rules for yielding the right-of-way or do not obey stop signs when they approach.
• Approach all intersections at a speed appropriate to conditions and be prepared to stop if necessary. Do not assume you will be able to go through an intersection, even if you actually should have the right-of-way.
• Be careful in situations where visibility is impaired. Slowly approach blind corners so you do not strike a vehicle you cannot see. If something is obstructing your view of cross traffic, wait until the obstruction has cleared before entering an intersection.

These are just a few of many safe driving behaviors you should practice in order to reduce the chances of a crash. Fireman’s Fund Insurance Company suggests “drivers must constantly practice defensive driving. This means that they drive in such a way that they can defend themselves against the situations, often caused by other drivers’ mistakes that cause accidents.”

By driving assertively and defensively, you can avoid crashes caused by negligence of other motorists. While it is not your job to account for bad driving (and bad drivers can be sued after accidents), it is far better to prevent a crash if you can than to become involved in a collision and point fingers after the fact.