Vehicle accidents can strike at any time. They can occur when pulling out of the grocery store parking lot, driving on a two-lane road late at night, when stopped at an intersection, or driving full steam ahead. They can occur in sunny weather, when the roads are slicked with rain, snow or ice, when trees or debris are on the roads from a storm. They can come when distracted, fully focused or in a split-second, when it’s too late to react. Participants can be injured or even die whether they are inside a vehicle or a pedestrian on the roadway.

While accidents are often just that, accidents, there are important steps motorists in Lunenburg can take to prevent some of them.

April is Highway Safety Month in the Commonwealth of Virginia. Virginia government and the Virginia Department of Transportation (VDOT) are taking steps to address pedestrian safety, distracted driving and budgeting funds to improve roadways in localities through the state.

According to VDOT, Lunenburg was reported to have one fatality from a vehicle accident in 2018. While accidents are often outside of one’s control, addressing potential factors such as the quality of roads can be imperative to preventing future accidents. As budget season draws near, the quality of our roads in the county is always an important and necessary allocation to potentially keep fatalities at none, if at all possible.

Paula Jones with VDOT offers residents the following tips when driving. Perhaps we as a community can put these plans into action when we’re on the road.

“Be prepared before driving,” Jones said. “Make sure your car is operating properly, that you have the necessary safety devices and use them and that you, as the driver, are physically/ mentally prepared to be behind the wheel. Also, and this is very important, avoid distractions when driving. Statistics show that distracted driving is a significant factor in incidents.”