Automobile accidents change millions of lives annually across Canada. In the time it takes to read this sentence, or even blink, more Toronto motorists than we’d like, have their day-to-day existences thrown into the chaos of ongoing pain, lingering physical disabilities, and potentially crippling financial hardships. Crashes kill six people daily on average and injure thousands more, causing more fatalities annually than the lost lives of the last two World Wars combined, according to Transport Canada’s tracking.

Nothing short of abstaining from driving entirely can eliminate automobile accidents entirely. Conscientious driving can prevent a vast majority of accidents, though. Many fatalities and life-changing injuries could have been avoided entirely, had at least one driver been paying more prudent attention or at least one vehicle occupant been wearing a seat belt.

The personal injury lawyers of Singh Barristers are in the business of safeguarding injury victims’ rights to fair compensation, but we’d never complain about a lighter caseload if it meant that Canada’s drivers – statistically, already ranking among the world’s safest – were safer still for Canadians putting safety first and foremost. Take our advice below to be both a little bit better prepared in the event of an accident and to help prevent them from happening in the first place…

• ALWAYS WEAR A SEAT BELT

The added safety of being securely fastened into your seat doesn’t so offset injury risks as to make reckless driving permissible. However, in the event you should be struck when already driving cautiously, the life-and-death difference can’t be understated.

• DON’T TEXT AND DRIVE

There is no message so important that it can’t wait the few minutes it would take to pull over someplace to a complete stop before reading it.

• GO HANDS-FREE

For the occasions in which you must make a call while driving, invest in a Bluetooth or other hands-free earpiece that enables voice-dialing and talking without needing to handle the handset.

• TAKE BREAKS

On longer trips lasting more than two hours or so, periodically find a safe place to get off the road, stretch your legs, rest your eyes, and just break up the monotony of driving. Repeated at intervals or simply whenever you start to feel distracted or drowsy.

• ALL ATTENTION ON THE ROAD

Whether eating, playing with handheld electronics, or playing around with passengers, the instant in which your eyes aren’t on the road could be the one in which your vehicle drifts out of your lane or you can’t respond to a sudden obstacle ahead.

• ALWAYS CARRY CURRENT PROOF OF INSURANCE
• VEHICLE INSPECTIONS

Especially before embarking on longer driving trips, always check that your vehicle is in its proper working order, including topped-off fluids, appropriate tire pressure, functioning windshield wipers, working headlights, and a general comprehensive checkup to verify that all systems are operating properly.