No matter how good a driver you consider yourself to be, you’re bound to have the unfortunate experience of a fender bender at least once during your lifetime of driving. Car accidents are just that – accidents – and can happen to anyone, and at any time.

Whether you’ve had more than your fair share of accidents, or you’ve never even received a trolley ding in a supermarket car park, there are a  few ways that you can take action to give yourself the best possible change of never experiencing a car accident again. Here are some of the most common car accidents that occur in the UK, and tips for trying to prevent them.

Driving distractions

As a nation, a vast percentage of us are constantly glued facedown to our smartphones. It’s no wonder then that driving while distracted is one of the most common causes of car accidents in the UK. Composing a text message, reading an email, updating Facebook, taking a photo or recording a video are just some of the sure ways that will get you involved in a car accident. In fact, driving while distracted by technology such as smartphones is so common that the UK has banned the use of smartphones while driving a motor vehicle. The best way to avoid a car accident is to turn your phone off and focus 100% on the road in front of you as well as your surroundings.

Excess speed

We all admit to being busy. Simply getting from point A to point B can be a bit of a challenge if you’ve got a hectic day and you happen to be running a little bit late, or you experience som unexpected traffic on your usual route. While many people thinking that speeding at certain points in your journey to make up time is a good idea, it doesn’t really make sense to do it. Not only will it cost you more money in fuel, but it can also cost you a great deal of tie if your are to be involved in an accident. If you’re driving faster, then your response time shortens, which means that you’re less likely to spot a potential hazard in time. It’s not only you that can suffer from the affects of your speeding. You could present yourself as a danger to other road users if you speed up behind them and attempt to overtake when they aren’t expecting it. Such accidents are very easily avoided just by staying within the speed limit.

Driving under the influence

One of the easiest causes of avoidable accidents is driving while under the influence of drink or other substances. Just by following the law you can completely avoid the associated risk of driving when you’ve had too much to drink. It’s a serious offense which will at the very least get you a driving ban. If you’re unfortunate enough to have an accident whereby someone else gets hurt you can also risk losing your freedom. We all get caught out sometimes and have more drinks than we expected to, and this is fine. A taxi may be expensive, but it’s a legal and safe way to get yourself home after a night out. That way the worst you will have to deal with in the morning is a headache and a parking ticket.

Driving recklessly

Driving can be fun, but it can also be a very dangerous activity. Rules exist to keep us all safe on the road, and it’s when these rules are broken that things start to fall apart and people can be injured or even killed. Reckless driving such as excessive overtaking, speeding and cornering too fast is not a great way to impress your mates. It’s one of the best ways to get involved in a car accident, which is a hassle that everyone wants to avoid wherever possible.

Jumping red lights

If you want to have a car accident, then jumping a red traffic light is highly likely to get you one. Many people think it’s safe to continue through a red light just as it is turning amber, but this couldn’t be more false. If you see an amber light you must prepare to stop under all circumstances. A set of traffic lights can be in control of a very busy sequence of traffic, so just because you think you might have time to jump that red light, you could well be wrong. Not only that, but emergency vehicles who may be jumping a red light to get to their destination may not expect you to be there, which is a surprisingly common cause of accident in the UK.

So there you have it, five ways to reduce the likelihood of being in a car accident. By limiting distractions, sticking to the speed limits, and obeying the rules of the road you can prevent a serious accident that could cost you money as well as your freedom.