Racecar crashes occur mainly because of speeding. It is more difficult to control your vehicle at high speeds, and vehicular safety systems are more likely to fail. Reaction time is also significantly lessened when speeding. While race cars are specifically outfitted to handle higher speeds better, crashes still happen. A conventional vehicle is even less equipped to handle speeding and other distractions. While accidents on and off the racetrack are tragic, we can take away some valuable lessons from these incidents to improve driving safety for everyone.

Don’t Speed

If it wasn’t clear already, there is never a good time to speed. Even on highways, high speeds can make you more susceptible to blown tires, losing control of a vehicle, or running into another car. High-speed crashes are often deadlier than other crashes; it’s why you see so many fatal accidents on highways. You should always follow the speed limit laws and signs applicable to your area and roadway type.

Wear Your Seatbelt

When a car needs to brake suddenly, especially at higher speeds, momentum from the sudden stop can force objects and passengers to be thrown from the vehicle. Seatbelts were designed to prevent this, and they can and often do save lives in accidents. In most states, it is illegal to not wear a seatbelt, especially as a front-seat passenger. You can get severe traffic fines for not wearing a seatbelt. Even racecars have seatbelts, though they look slightly different from conventional vehicles.

Avoid Illegal or Unsafe Car Modifications

Certain car modifications can make the car unreliable, dangerous, and more susceptible to crashes. These modifications include enhancing speed through nitrous, removing safety features, changing headlights or taillights, or adding excessive tinting. Most states even have window tinting laws for driver visibility. Car modifications can also interfere with built-in safety features like seatbelts or airbags, making crashes deadlier. Racecar drivers are highly trained to race at high speeds and still get into frequent accidents; modifying your vehicle is unsafe.

No Driving While Intoxicated

If you’ve had any substance that alters your mental state or makes it difficult to operate heavy machinery, you should avoid driving. Alcohol, drugs, or prescription medication can make you excessively tired or intoxicated. Check your medication bottle or with your doctor to make sure it’s safe to drive after taking certain prescriptions. Even if you feel fine after consuming alcohol or taking medication, you may not realize how altered your response time and driving skills are. It’s best to play it safe and stay home until you are sober or in a clearer state of mind. For this reason, racecar drivers typically undergo frequent, strict, and random drug tests.

Keep Your Ride Maintained

Do you ever notice how often racecars need maintenance or pit stops? Heavy use and high speeds cause a lot of wear and tear on the vehicle. A worn tire or brake failure can not only cost them the race, but it can cost them their life. While your car won’t speed like a racecar, it gets used often and needs routine maintenance. If an issue such as a tire blowout happens on the road, controlling your vehicle can be difficult and get you into an accident. Get your car frequently inspected and maintained to make sure it is road-safe.

Reduce Distractions

Distracted driving is one of the deadliest accident causes. Texting, messing with the car audio, fiddling with the air conditioner, applying makeup, eating, and arguing can cause fatal accidents. Most issues can wait until you’ve ended your trip. Adjust your car audio, text, or make a phone call before or after you drive. Put your phone in do-not-disturb mode. Pull over if there’s an emergency that cannot wait.

Bring a Friend

Long trips can make you tired without realizing it. Bring a friend or partner on your journey if you’re susceptible to tiredness or excessive highway hypnosis. You can take driving shifts or have someone watch you to ensure you’re paying attention to the road.

Keep Your Distance

Even if the other driver is aggressive, you may be liable for the car accident if you rear-end them due to driving too closely. Distance is important! Fault laws will vary depending on where you live or where the accident occurred (if different). It’s good to learn some examples to understand the difference, but the most important is knowing the law where you live.

Michigan

Michigan is a no-fault state for car accidents, meaning each party must have their own insurance that will provide coverage instead of the liable party only. Despite the no-fault status, you can still pursue compensation against negligent parties. Contacting a car accident lawyer is a great idea to understand your options.

North Carolina

North Carolina is an example of an at-fault state. A car accident insurance claim will be filed with the at-fault party in these states. However, the state also applies contributory negligence, meaning each party is investigated and attributed a certain percentage of fault. If you are found to have contributed highly to the car accident, then you may not receive any compensation in a lawsuit.

Allow Passing

If others around you are speeding, the answer isn’t to drive faster to keep up. Don’t get into a road rage battle. If someone is determined to pass you, it’s best to let them, especially if they’re speeding. Speeding or reckless drivers are more likely to get into accidents, and you don’t want to be caught in the middle.

Inclement Weather Caution

Heavy thunderstorms, rain, wind, or snow can make roads slick or hard to see. You can quickly get into an accident when you or other vehicles hydroplane or slide on slippery roads. If you can’t see other vehicles, you may collide with them. You can always pull over if rain or wind gets too heavy. Take it easy when driving during inclement weather. There’s a reason racecar drivers avoid rainy races.

Interlinking Opportunities

From (https://www.racingsportscars.com/report/Pit-Stop-Wisdom-2025-05-expo.html) with the anchor defensive driving skills

From (https://www.racingsportscars.com/report/Science-Of-Speed-2025-01-expo.html) with the anchor preventing car accidents

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