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Keep a basic emergency kit in the trunk of your car at all times. This includes blankets, snacks, road flares, a working flashlight and optionally some form of Call Police sign or something similar. Also add a bag of sand or kitty litter, a small shovel and some booster cables if you're in a cold climate. In the event of a breakdown you want to be prepared and while cel phone coverage seems to be expanding by the day there are still a lot of rural areas where you may not get a signal.
Rule of thumb on the road : Predictability saves lives, yours and others. Signal all turns and lane changes well in advance, don't slam on your brakes if you can avoid it. If somebody's tailgating you, do not touch the brake pedal. They know they're tailgating. Instead, let up on the accelerator and allow the car to coast a bit, reducing speed gradually until the tailgater passes you. If somebody is driving in what you believe to be an unsafe or unpredictable manner, the best place to have them is in front of you with a good space cushion, as that's the area around your car that you have the most control over.
When making a left turn at a busy intersection (ie, having to pause for through traffic), pull out into the middle of the intersection and wait for an opening with your wheels straight. If you get rear ended, it's safer for you and everyone around you if you roll forward instead of into oncoming traffic.
If somebody is ahead of you waiting to make a left turn, wait for that person to execute their turn outside of the intersection and don't try to follow them through, especially if the light is yellow. With that person there you can't see what's coming and a gap that's big enough for them may not be big enough for both of you (or in the event of a yellow light, you may not see that last car trying to squeeze through before the light turns red). Better to wait a minute for the lights to cycle than move without being able to see what's coming.
These are the small things that have kept me accident-free to date. I don't follow all traffic laws religiously, but I do try to practice 'see and be seen'. Knowing where I am in relation to others, being able to accurately predict what they're going to do and allowing them to accurately predict my moves is what keeps me out of those fender benders.
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I wake up in the morning more tired than before I slept
I get through cryin' and I'm sadder than before I wept
I get through thinkin' now, and the thoughts have left my head
I get through speakin' and I can't remember, not a word that I said
- Ben Harper, Show Me A Little Shame
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