You’re driving to work when an animal runs into the street in front of you. It stops and freezes in your headlights. You only have a split second to make a decision.
In this situation, many drivers will swerve around the animal. Their entire focus is on avoiding a collision. But if they are driving at 60 miles an hour, they may not be able to stop in time, so they swerve instead. If you’re in this position, is this what you should do?
Swerving may be much worse
Often, swerving is highly problematic and should be avoided. The outcome could be far worse, and you may put other people in danger.
For example, if you swerve to the left, you could then drive your car into the oncoming traffic lanes. This could cause a sudden head-on collision at a combined speed of around 120 miles an hour. That type of crash is much more likely to lead to severe injuries.
On the other hand, if you swerve to the right, then your car could drive off of the road. You could strike a parked vehicle, a building, a tree, a street sign or another stationary object. Once again, this could be much more dangerous for you and anyone else in your car.
What if another driver makes the mistake?
The best option to avoid the crash is simply to stay in your lane and hit the brakes, while honking the horn to get the animal to move out of the road. But even if you always do this, another driver could try to swerve and end up causing a severe two-vehicle crash. If you’ve suffered injuries in such an accident, then you need to know how to seek financial compensation for medical bills and other costs.
