It’s crucial to keep your eyes on the road until you get home. Research shows that most accidents happen close to home. Thus, you may not be in the clear until you pull over in your driveway.
Here is why:
Drivers may rely on muscle memory, not their driving skills
Drivers in your neighborhood are familiar with the road. Accordingly, they may no longer fear hazards around them or may believe they don’t exist, yet they do, including children playing, teenagers learning to drive, pedestrians crossing, parked cars/trash cans creating roadway obstructions and so on.
A driver may be comfortable checking their phone, looking outside the window or eating since they “know” what to expect on the road – they rely more on muscle memory.
Such a driver may fail to notice you when you are around them, and this can lead to an accident.
They may not observe rules
Some drivers usually throw rules out of the window when they are close to home. They may fail to look in all directions at intersections and turns, engage in tailgating, fail to signal and so on. When people fail to observe rules in a residential area, an accident can happen.
Note that some drivers undo their seatbelts when they are close to home, or those leaving the house may fail to fasten their seatbelts when going to a nearby grocery store. But this can be dangerous. It’s crucial to buckle up every time you are driving.
Residential streets pose the same potential risks as highways. You can be involved in an accident in your neighborhood if a driver fails to observe rules or stay alert. If this happens to you, learn more about your options to protect your rights.