Hey ladies! Welcome to the start of another great semester at the University of Maryland! This semester, I am happy to introduce a series for the Her Campus blog entitled “The Collegiate Experience,” where I will highlight a part of my college experience and provide insight that I believe readers may find relevant and helpful.
This week’s topic is about driving safety. Fact: Maryland has a high commuter volume among its student population. According to Department of Transportation Services (DOTS) Assistant Director Beverly Malone, based on data from the 2010-2011 school year, only a total of 2,640 parking permits were assigned whereas the number of permits assigned to commuter students was a total of 10,090 students. These numbers reflect exactly why Maryland experiences heightened traffic and congestion in parking lots during peak hours of the day.
Poor traffic and parking conditions raise the risk for automobile accidents. I personally have been involved in three car accidents my entire life, all minor fenders, and all happened nearby our campus! The first time I ever got into an accident I was definitely in a state of shock; I never expected to get into a car accident, and especially not one where I was at fault. That made the second accident I got in about a year later much more nerve wracking—a word of advice, never think you can predict what the other driver will do.
I had thought the previous driver had finished turning at the light, so I only paid attention to oncoming cars on my left instead of making sure the car in front of me had actually finished its turn. I was not at fault for the accident I just had three weeks ago, but it was still just as stressful because the other party’s insurance was making the claims process difficult.
Having experienced both sides of the post-accident process and seeing how all the accidents happened right by our campus, I thought maybe it would be appropriate to provide some insight; most of these tips are actually lessons I learned from my mistakes:
Do not get out of your car right away or move your vehicle.
Take some notes: the time of the accident, what you were doing, and if possible, what the other party was
doing. Also how big was the impact? Are you hurt at all? If so, where?
Call the police and make a report—especially if this is your first accident or in case of bodily injury. If
possible, get them to do a formal report so that they can act as a witness.
Keep the conversation with the other driver to a minimum. Anything you say has the chance of
being used against you. In a situation like this, silence is golden.
You are only responsible for speaking with and giving a recorded statement to your own
insurane representative and your own insurance, NOT to anyone representing the other
party.
The other party’s insurance may be trying to find a way to get their client out of liability, especially if
they were the driver that was at fault. When swapping information make sure you take pictures of the damage to both cars and write down or take pictures of everything- license plate information, phone numbers, addresses, drivers’ licenses, and complete insurance information. Also, make sure all information is accurate and in date; this will save you from any unnecessary grief.
In the meantime, drive safely ladies, and catch you all next time on “The Collegiate Experience”!