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Avoid crashes on Interstate 75 with these tips

Anyone who hs driven on I-75 knows that it can be a hassle. Drivers don’t often obey the speed limit, and it’s a rarity to see someone use their blinkers. Combined with heavy traffic and distractions, there’s no wonder that this highway has so many collisions.

When they do take place, the crashes back up traffic for miles. Stop-and-go traffic results, which tends to lead to further collisions. As someone who has to get through backed up traffic, the best thing you can do is know how to stay safe despite the bumper-to-bumper traffic conditions.

How can you avoid a crash in a traffic jam?

One of the best things that you can do is give yourself space. While the person behind you is out of your control, you’re in control of how much space is in front of you. At slower speeds, it’s less likely that you’ll be hit and pushed into the vehicle in front of you, but you still want to leave a gap.

If you’re traveling 10 mph, try to leave at least one car’s length between you and the next vehicle. Add a car’s length for each additional vehicle. You may not be able to, as vehicles merge from other lanes, but do your best to retain at least some space between you and the next vehicle in line.

Deadly distractions

Another problem in traffic jams is that people get distracted. They’re bored, so they fiddle with their radios, use cellphones and look away from the road. This can back up traffic further and result in a crash when they suddenly accelerate to move too quickly ahead. This is another great reason to pay attention regardless of the speed you’re traveling, since not doing so can quickly lead to a rear-end collision.

A third tip for stop-and-go traffic is to get into the lane you need to be in as soon as possible. Part of the reason traffic backs up is because people need to merge into different lanes. If you know you’re in the wrong lane, take steps to move over as soon as you can to avoid having to do so later, since the traffic will bottleneck at some point if too many people try to merge in a single place.

These are a few helpful tips to avoid crashes on I-75 in busy traffic conditions. By giving yourself space and paying attention, you can help avoid causing or being involved in a collision.

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