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Traffic Accidents: How do I avoid them?

Safety on the road is as important as your own life, preserve it.

Getting in the car, putting on your seatbelt, turning on the car, tuning in to your favorite radio station, and starting your drive to a specific location, for many, is a daily task. Using the car is such a habitual routine that, sometimes, not much attention is paid to the details, and one can even feel invincible. Unfortunately, that’s not the case.

Anyone can be the victim of an accident on the road because these occur at any time and to anyone. In Puerto Rico alone, there are about 43,000 traffic accidents per year. That’s equivalent to 5 accidents per hour!

Since traffic accidents are a daily matter, we share 5 tips to drive safer:

1. Plan your route

This may sound a bit obvious, but planning your route could free you from any trouble.

To plan your route efficiently, you must consider:

  • How long it will take you to reach the destination
  • If you are traveling during rush hours
  • If you will pass by an expressway, a main street, or a general avenue

Plus, if you need it, you could check the GPS. Taking these factors into consideration and leaving with reasonable time in advance, you can drive to your destination with more peace of mind and focus completely on the road.

2. Eat before or after

It can be common and easy to go through the drive thru window of a fast-food restaurant, order your favorite combo, and continue on your daily route. Just as easily you can be distracted by a French fry that fell between the seats or with a coffee that spilled on your lap, and cause a traffic accident.

3. Electronic devices: Far away, please

Now, there are very few times when we do not have some electronic device in our hands. Calls and text messages are always present. In fact, this is another major cause of accidents on the road.

Next time you get in the car, try to:

  • Activate the voice command and let “Siri,” “Alexa,” “Cortana,” or “Google” be your companions and personal assistants, only in case you need to make a call or look for an emergency address.
  • Identify the type of music you want to listen to along the way, and create playlists that have the same length as your daily commute. Thus, you can start listening to the music or podcast before starting the car and not get distracted by looking for the next song.
  • If you have a smartwatch, turn on “Do Not Disturb” mode. Even if you are not paying it attention, once the screen lights up with a work email notification, it is very easy to get distracted!
  • • Cars in recent years come equipped with instant cellphone connection and it can be very easy, but not advisable, to make a phone call. Beware of the temptation to turn that voice call into a video call!

4. Prepare for any emergency

When driving a car, it is important to be cautious. Prepare an emergency bag that includes, but is not limited to: personal items, general medications and snacks, and basic tools.

We have no way of knowing how other people are doing in their cars, so we must always be vigilant. Pay close attention to your surroundings, not only to the car in front or behind you, but look beyond. Thus, you can anticipate sudden brakes or turns. Keep a reasonable distance at all times.

5. Your primary companion: Accidents Policy

Because an injury or hospital visit as a result of a traffic accident generates high expenses, it never hurts to have a good accidents policy as a companion.

At TOLIC, we are committed to your well-being. Therefore, we offer you an Accidents policy that helps you face unforeseen expenses, paying the benefits directly to you. This policy also helps you defend yourself financially from the high deductibles of health insurance plans. Depending on the plan you select, you will receive benefits.

For more information, visit our website www.tolic.com or email us to contact one of our representatives (customerservice@tolic.com).

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En TOLIC tenemos la obligación de enviar la Informativa 480.7F, a todos los clientes comerciales y cuenta propistas, para los pagos de prima de Aportaciones a planes de salud o accidentes durante el año Contributivo 2023.

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