This, of course, doesn’t mean you shouldn’t go to other countries at all, but rather that you should take extra precautions to make sure you and your family are safe when it comes to auto accidents. This is very possible with proper care and planning, and the tips below to avoid vehicle accidents while traveling abroad might be just what you need.
According to the Association for Safe International Road Travel, around 1.3 million people become fatalities in vehicular accidents annually. This amounts to around 3,287 fatalities on average every single day. On top of that, 20 to 50 million people are disabled or injured annually as a result of this situation.
Study and Observe the Road Ahead
Perhaps one of the most important parts of avoiding accidents anywhere is to learn what you need to avoid in the first place. Not all accidents are the same, and even if vehicle accidents fall under their own category, not all circumstances lead to the same kinds of accidents. As such, the wise thing to do is not to “avoid” accidents per se, but to do things that reduce the risk of being in one. Part of this is studying and observing where you’re going.
If you plan on being on vacation with your family, it might help to study the place where you’re going. Different countries have different traffic laws, so it might be a helpful idea to get a basic sense of what to expect when going to another country. What sort of special rules are there? Are certain modes of transportation forbidden in certain areas? What’s the word on traffic in the region?
Try to consult a lawyer about how you can interpret certain laws in other countries. A lawyer’s advice and assistance can at least help give you a general idea of what to expect when dealing with the authorities in the country you want to go to.
Speaking of authorities, try to immediately get a hold of relevant hotlines and locations of police stations and hospitals near the place where you’re staying. Keep this information somewhere accessible, such as a piece of paper in your wallet, a notebook, and your gadgets in case of emergencies.
Check and Recheck All Your Logistics
If you’ve done the above, you may pretty much have a general idea of what to expect when you go to your country of choice. This can be a breath of fresh air on your end, as you don’t have to worry about constantly asking around for even the most basic of things such as directions when you have had the information with you all along. However, when you land in your country of choice, perhaps it may help to offer an hour or two to acquaint yourself with your environment.
- Just how close are your accommodations to the police stations and hospitals you’ve searched? How will you get there?
- How safe is the traffic compared to what you’ve read in the news or in your research? It’s important to have a basic sense of your environment so you can travel around with ease. Check if road signs are understandable, and ask a local for assistance if you don’t understand what something means. It might help to get yourself a tour guide, so they can help acquaint you with the basics of the country’s culture regarding safety and accident prevention.
Understand and Follow Protocol
Try to find ways to understand just how security, accidents, and disasters work in your destination country. Your area right now might have a different approach to accidents than the country of your choice, so if you can research the protocol as to what should be done in these situations, then there might be less hassle on your end. This is especially true since you are a foreigner; there might be intricacies with the local laws that you have to learn about.
Decide among your family what to do in case of disaster. Who do you get to communicate with, and where should you go in times of danger? How should the children act if you and/or your partner have been found unconscious? These things might feel excessive right now, but these protocols can be helpful if accidents do happen. This way, if you need to reach out to solicitors, you can confidently say that you knew all the protocols of the road and that the accident was in no way your fault.
Proper Preparation Is the Key
Family trips abroad can be the perfect way for you and your family to unwind, but this doesn’t mean you should neglect the possibility of accidents happening even if you’re in another country. Your trip to paradise can turn into a disaster without proper preparation, and this kind of preparation extends further than just having an itinerary. Getting to know what to do to avoid vehicle accidents while traveling abroad is something that can save you and your family in the future.
If you’re in need of legal assistance, especially in analyzing the intricacies of traffic laws abroad, you may click here for more information. A lawyer’s advice may also be able to give you an extra layer of assurance towards the kind of knowledge that can help you and your family in ensuring your safety abroad.
