Car Accident from Driving Too Close

According to one news report, an Orangeburg man was charged with driving too close for conditions Friday, April 29 after a car accident that sent two men to a Columbia hospital. Lance Cpl. Judd Jones of the S.C. Highway Patrol said an ice truck driven by 28-year-old Allen Miller overturned after striking a pickup truck that was attempting to make a left turn on Highway 178 east of Orangeburg. Two Bamberg men were airlifted to Palmetto Health Richland after suffering non-life threatening injuries, Jones said.

Avoid a Car Accident using the 2-Second Rule

The two-second rule is a rule of thumb by which a driver may maintain a safe following distance at any speed. The rule is that a driver should ideally stay at least two seconds behind any vehicle that is directly in front of his vehicle. It is intended for cars, although its general principle applies to other types of vehicles such as semi-trucks, tractor-trailers and 18-wheelers. The two-second rule is useful as it can be applied to any speed. It is equivalent to one vehicle length for every 5 mph of the current speed, however, drivers can find it difficult to estimate the correct distance from the car in front or to remember the stopping distances required for a given speed and to compute the linear equation on the fly. The two-second rule gets around these problems, and provides a simple and common-sense way of improving road safety. The practice has been shown to dramatically reduce risk of a car accident, and also the severity of a car accident should an collision occur. It also helps to avoid tailgating and road rage for all drivers. The risk of tailgating is largely caused by the car accident avoidance time being much less than the driver reaction time. Driving instructors advocate that drivers always use the two-second rule regardless of speed or the type of road. During adverse weather or hazardous conditions, it is important to maintain an even greater distance of three or four seconds behind the vehicle in front of you. To estimate the time, a driver can wait until the rear end of the vehicle in front passes any distinct and fixed point on the roadway, e.g. a road sign, mailbox or line/crack/patch in the road. However, don't take your eyes off the vehicle for more than a second or that would defeat the purpose. As you count to yourself the elapsed time in seconds, the front of your car should pass the same point no less than two seconds later. If the elapsed time is less than this, increase the distance, then repeat the method again until the time is at least 2 seconds.

Charleston Car Accident Lawyer

If you've been injured in a Charleston car accident, you can file a personal injury lawsuit against the person who caused the accident to obtain an award of damages. Damages may be for pain and suffering or for current and/or expected medical expenses. In a car accident suit, you and your lawyer will try to prove that the driver of the other vehicle caused the accident due to failing to pay attention or take reasonable care. To prove that a person was not driving with reasonable care, contact a Charleston car accident lawyer at the Clore Law Group LLC for your free consultation.