A lot of people love fall and not just because there’s easy access to pumpkin spice coffee everywhere. However, despite the love it receives, fall presents drivers with some special dangers.
If you’re going to spend any time behind the wheel this fall, whether making the commute to work and back or just traveling around town for errands, consider this your yearly reminder of some of the specific dangers the season brings:
Rapid Weather Shifts
Fall is known for rapid weather shifts no matter where you live. An 80 degree day can give way to a 50 degree night, and the next morning you might be faced with heavy fog during your regular commute.
Rain is another sudden problem in the fall. Even if you live well away from hurricane-prone areas, your area’s weather might be affected by the tropical storms and hurricanes going on hundreds of miles away.
Make sure that you give yourself extra time to commute if there’s fog on the road and take precautions in the rain. Slow down or even find a spot and sit out the deluge if necessary for your safety. Don’t allow aggressive drivers to “push” you to drive faster than you think is safe. If someone is riding your bumper, slow down and let them pass instead of driving faster to accommodate them.
Beautiful Foliage
It’s hard to think of the colorful array of changing leaves as a danger, but it is.
A lot of those leaves are falling into the roads, and they can quickly make the ground slick. While leaves usually aren’t a problem on major highways, they can make city and town side streets slippery. In particular, be careful if you live in or near any historic areas with brick streets, because leaves can make them especially difficult to navigate safely.
Another problem related to the fall foliage is distracted driving. There are a lot of drivers who go out just to look at the scenery in rural areas. Unfortunately, they may not be paying as much attention to traffic as they should, which can easily lead to an accident.
If you do end up in a car accident this fall due to another driver’s failure to remain cautious, talk to an attorney about your rights to compensation.
Source: esurance, “dangers of fall driving,” accessed Sep. 29, 2017