14 Tips for Avoiding Michigan Winter Whiteout Accidents

Getting caught in a blinding snow storm while driving can be a nerve-wracking experience. Heavy snowfall and high winds can drop visibility to near zero even during the daytime. During a Michigan winter whiteout, accidents often occur because conditions hide drivers' reference points and cause them to become disoriented. This can lead to drivers drifting out of their lanes into other vehicles, oncoming traffic or off the road entirely. Not to mention that it can be impossible to see the vehicle ahead before its too late to stop. And some drivers don't even slow down for such conditions or slow down enough The whole situation is a recipe for disaster.

When Michigan winter whiteout accidents occur, Michigan no-fault auto insurance will cover the medical costs of all injuries (except those of someone driving their own uninsured vehicle). But when injuries are severe, there may be extensive damages that aren't covered by no-fault insurance. The driver who caused the accident will bear most of the liability for those injuries. However, other drivers, including those injured directly by the at-fault driver, may share that liability because of the choices they make, such as choosing to continue driving in bad conditions rather than getting off the road.

Some drivers try to escape their liability for injuries caused in bad-weather accidents by claiming that the situation was a "sudden emergency" or an act of God that was beyond their control. But that's not the case. Those drivers chose to drive when dangerous weather was imminent and chose to continue driving when the weather grew worse. Checking the weather before going out and making the decision to get off the road or take greater precautions until able to get off the road can eliminate many accidents. Poor driving decisions, such as choosing to drive in dangerous weather, and failure to prepare do not absolve a driver of his or her responsibility. Drivers may not be able to control the weather, but they can control whether to go out in bad weather and control when they get off the road.

Tips for Avoiding Michigan Winter Whiteout Accidents when Blizzard Conditions Catch You on the Road

1. Get off the road -- if you can't see, it's not safe to drive; all the other tips below should be used toward the primary goal of getting off the road safely -- not to continue to your destination
2. Find a safe parking area if possible, such as a roadside rest area or parking lot where vehicles aren't moving as fast and are less likely to crash
3. Slow down gradually to avoid sliding and losing control of the vehicle
4. Turn on headlights -- low beam works best in snow fall; they can be seen but the blinding reflection off the snow will be minimal
5. Stay calm and patient -- muscle tension, anger and fear frequently cause drivers to over steer or react in panic, which can cause an otherwise avoidable accident;
6. Stay alert -- don't get so relaxed that you don't pay attention to traffic around you
7. Put lots of space between your vehicle and the vehicle in front of you, so that you have extra room to gradually slow and come to a stop
8. Keep windows and mirrors clear by running the defroster and wipers if necessary
9. Don't use wiper fluid to clear the windshield unless you know it won't freeze -- in extremely low temperatures, some wiper fluids freeze as they come into contact with the windshield and worsen visibility rather than improve it
10. Look at traffic as far ahead of you as possible, not just the car immediately in front, to get as early a warning as possible when traffic slows down or stops
11. Don't forget to keep an eye out for traffic around you in case they start to spin or someone behind you is following too closely
12. Avoid passing and changing lanes as you may not be able to see other cars and other cars may not see you
13. Don't stop suddenly -- cars behind you may not see your brake lights until it's too late
14. Get off the road -- we can't state this emphatically enough: anyone who continues driving during whiteout conditions, is likely to cause an accident or be caught in one and that choice can make the driver liable for other people's injuries

As a Michigan personal injury and auto accident law firm, Sachs Waldman frequently handles injury cases in which drivers and passengers were injured by someone's negligent driving decisions during a whiteout. We have extensive experience helping these kinds of clients recover damages from insurance companies and drivers bearing liability. Even if a driver may be partially liable for his or her own injuries it can still be possible to recover damages from other drivers.

If you've been injured in a whiteout car accident in Michigan, call our Michigan car accident law office to schedule a free consultation and find out what damages you may be able to recover: 1-800-638-6722