Avoiding Unnecessary Car Trips

Many Americans rely primarily on their cars for their transportation needs. With so many vehicles on the road, we often become bogged down with traffic and arrive at our destinations more stressed than when we left. We may find ourselves driving distractedly, sleepily, or even recklessly simply because we are fed up with driving all of the time. All of these factors can increase your chance of a costly car accident. To minimize your risk of an accident, it may help to reduce your daily car trips and to look to other forms of transportation for those errands close to home.

Getting Around Town

According to the Federal Highway Safety Administration, 40 percent of all daily trips made in the U.S. cover a distance of just 2 miles or less, and 90 percent of these currently made by car. Whether it’s a quick trip to the grocery store, a detour to the library to drop off a book, or a jaunt to the local coffee shop, these trips are often short distances from home. Rather than driving and risking a car accident, these trips can be made just as easily and perhaps more enjoyably by bike or on foot.

Benefits of Avoiding Needless Driving

Bicycling and walking are great money-saving and risk-reducing alternatives for short errands. These short trips add up over time, and replacing just one short errand per day with your bike or a walk can greatly reduce your gasoline expenses. There are also health benefits to walking and biking over driving. While it may seem contradictory at first, taking a short biking or walking trip each day can also make you a better driver. Drivers who occasionally bike or walk are more aware of bicyclists and pedestrians and may therefore drive more alertly with a reduced risk of having an accident.

Contact Us

If you are involved in a car accident, it is important to have the insurance that you need to cover your injuries and damages. To learn more about car insurance requirements and the affordable coverage options that are available to you, contact the helpful Chicago auto insurance experts of Insure on the Spot today at 1-888-972-SAVE.