Whether you’re driving a pantechnicon or are a sales rep paying visits to prospective and established clients, the danger of road accidents is a real one. That’s true for anyone, but with many hours spent on the road, your risk increases.

Truck accident lawyers, Lamber Goodnow have researched and identified the top reasons for truck accidents - and they apply to light motor vehicle drivers too.

Both drivers and their employers should familiarize themselves with the potentially fatal errors and shortcomings that can lead to tragedy, and in doing so, it’s easy to identify the methods that can be used to reduce the chance of accidents happening.

1. Be Attentive

Just a split second’s distraction is more than enough to cause a road accident that might otherwise have been avoided. Reduce risk by equipping vehicles so that taking one’s eyes off the road to answer the phone or adjust the radio isn’t necessary.

When this isn’t possible, make it your policy to pull off the road before doing anything that isn’t directly related to the task of driving. While multitasking can be a good skill in other circumstances, it doesn’t belong on the road.

Intense focus for protracted periods is exhausting and can lead to dangerous attention lapses. Take a break at least once every two hours to keep your mind fresh and alert. Your rest break could save lives.

2. Take it Easy and Arrive Alive

It can be difficult to remember that you should take it easy on the road when you have appointments to keep. But it’s better to arrive a little late than to fail to arrive at all.

So, although you’re painfully aware that your client is waiting for you, stick to the speed limit, avoid tailgating that slowpoke that’s infuriating you with his slow driving, and be especially careful in situations where you need to judge the speed of oncoming vehicles.

It’s better to be slow and safe than to be in a hurry and sorry. Stay a little longer at that stop sign. Wait for a better opportunity to overtake. Be extra careful when turning off across a lane of oncoming vehicles. Easy does it.

3. Keep Calm

In emergencies, it’s all-too-easy to make a split-second misjudgement or overcompensate  when trying to steer clear of a potential accident situation. An advanced driving course will take you through some of the more stressful situations you might face and will teach you how best you should drive to avoid or mitigate an accident.

Since it’s really difficult to stay calm in an unfamiliar and potentially life-threatening situation, preparing yourself by acquiring advanced driving skills will give you an advantage, helping you to react in a cool and calculated manner.

4. Fatigue or Illness

Sometimes, you might feel like you just want to “get there” so that you can get home, and that might lead you to press on when you really should be resting. Avoid going to work if you’re feeling unwell and will be driving and beware of medications that might impair your driving ability even though they might make you feel better.

If you haven’t been sleeping well, you shouldn’t be driving either. Your safety, and the safety of other road users, depends on it.

5. Be Extra Alert Under Unusual Conditions

This is a big one and could include a wide variety of scenarios. For example, you might be driving on an unfamiliar road with plenty of twists and turns, or you might be driving in weather conditions that limit visibility.

Whenever something about your journey seems awkward, uncomfortable, or unusual, it’s time to exercise extra care. Drive a little more slowly than you need to or even consider pulling over and waiting for the situation to improve.

6. Observe the Highway Code

Last but not least, let’s remember the importance of observing the rules of the road. Other drivers aren’t expecting you to do a sudden U-turn, for example, and that could be all it takes for an accident to happen.

Since you were breaking the rules, you will be the one to get the blame, even if you think the other driver could have avoided the crash. The highway code is there to protect you, so follow the rules, even if it seems inconvenient to do so.

If you are based in the US, this journey starts with a CDL theory exam and you can get free CDL advice from a range of sources.

In closing, let’s remember that accidents can and do happen even when you’re driving at your best. Buckle up, drive as safely as you can, and be sure that you and your fleet have adequate insurance coverage.