Use Mi Drive and Smart Driving Tips to Reduce Risk of Winter Auto Accidents in Michigan

Winter weather in Michigan provides numerous driving hazards that tend to slow traffic, cause winter auto accidents and keep drivers from reaching their destination on time. But smart drivers know how to plan ahead, how to identify safe routes with good-moving traffic, and how to keep an eye out for potential hazards so they know when to slow down or find a new route.

In this article, the Detroit auto accident attorneys at Sachs Waldman, P.C. share one of their favorite tools for checking out driving conditions before they head out on winter roads and some top tips for driving safely on those roads.

Use Mi Drive Website to Know What to Expect, Plan Safe Routes and Avoid Winter Auto Accidents

If you haven’t been using the State of Michigan’s Mi Drive website (www.michigan.gov/drive) to plan your driving routes and see where traffic conditions are hazardous, it’s time to start. The website was updated this past summer with more options and faster loading maps, making it more useful than ever. Mi Drive helps drivers identify areas of highways with construction projects, crashes and other hazards, slow-moving traffic and bad weather conditions. The system includes access to hundreds of traffic cameras providing real-time pictures of weather and traffic conditions along highways throughout Michigan and especially the Detroit area.

Using the Mi Drive site, you can check your planned route before leaving and see which highways have been plowed and salted and which ones are still covered in snow and see where winter auto accidents or construction are slowing or stopping traffic. With access to this information you can plan the safest route to your destination and you’ll know what to expect when you’re out on the road, reducing the frustration and impatience that can often lead to a crash.

The website is compatible for use with smart phones, so you can check traffic conditions from anywhere. But please DO NOT check the site while driving. Use of cell phones while driving, especially surfing the web or texting, distracts you from driving. Keeping your attention on traffic and road conditions is more important to arriving safely at your destination than knowing what traffic looks like on the roads ahead.

Top Driving Tips to Avoid Winter Auto Accidents

• Leave early so you can take your time and drive slow in snow and icy conditions
• Be extra cautious on bridges where the roadway freezes more easily
• Avoid sudden steering maneuvers that could lead to fish-tailing or sliding out of control
• Brake and accelerate slowly; rapid changes in speed reduce your ability to maintain control of the vehicle
• Don’t use your cell phone while driving — texting while driving is illegal in Michigan
• Remember that salt doesn’t work as well in temperatures below 20 degrees and can make the road more hazardous than roads that have been plowed but not salted
• Watch the slush thrown by other vehicles; it should be thrown to the side. If it’s thrown directly behind the wheels, road salt is losing effectiveness and causing the slush to stiffen which indicates icy conditions are beginning to develop
•  Give snowplows plenty of room to work — don’t weave between plow trucks and remember that plow drivers can’t see directly behind them or in their blind spots

In Case of a Winter Auto Accident, Have the Right Numbers in Your Cell Phone Contacts

While Mi Drive and the tips above can do a lot to keep you out of an accident, they won’t guarantee it. Other drivers and unseen hazards can lead to an accident even for the most cautious drivers. It’s always a good idea to have the right phone numbers in the contacts list of your cell phone in case of an accident. Of course you can always dial 911 in an emergency, but it’s also good to have phone numbers for the Michigan State Police, local law enforcement agencies, your insurance company and your personal injury attorney.

If you’re involved in an automobile accident, get medical help immediately and let your lawyer know as soon as practical. If you’ve been injured severely enough to require treatment at a hospital, call from the hospital. Although Michigan’s no-fault insurance laws protect nearly every driver and automobile passenger against medical costs and income lost to car accident injuries, your attorney can make sure you get all the benefits and compensation you’re entitled to. Having your attorney’s phone number in your cell phone makes it easy to bring him or her on board as soon as possible.

In Michigan, the personal injury firm of Sachs Waldman, P.C., can assist in getting you the benefits you’re entitled to for your winter auto accident. Put the number of our Detroit personal injury attorneys’ office in your phone: 1-800-638-6722