Follow these tips when driving on the highway

When you merge onto the highway, your entire mindset should change. The way you tackle these roadways should be different from how you drive in the city.

With vehicles moving extremely fast, especially in and around big cities like Atlanta, you must know exactly what you’re doing when you take to the highway. Here are five tips that can help keep you safe:

• Move into the right lane: It’s best to stay here, as the left lane(s) is for passing. When you do this, you’re putting yourself in the safest place on the highway.
• Use turn signals when changing lanes: You must signal every time you make a lane change, as this gives other drivers a clear idea of your intentions.
• Watch what’s happening around you: It’s critical to keep an eye on the road, but you must also see what other drivers are doing. This allows you to prepare for anything that could happen, such as someone cutting you off or abruptly hitting their brakes.
• Don’t drive in an aggressive manner: Defensive driving is essential to your safety on the highway. There is never a good time to become aggressive.
• Avoid distractions: It’s likely that you’ve come across drivers who were not paying attention to the road, such as when talking on a cellphone or sending a text message. Avoiding distractions greatly enhances your safety.

If you’re part of a highway car accident, move to the shoulder of the road, call 911 and stay where you are until help arrives to take control of the scene.

Once you receive treatment at a local hospital, file an insurance claim and take steps to hold the negligent driver responsible for causing the crash.