Auto Accident Attorney’s Ask–Are You Guilty of One of These Common Accident Causes?
We check our blind spot and side mirrors, we know better than to drink and drive and most of us use our turn signal so that the drivers around us know what to expect. We drive the speed limit, at least when we can actually see a police car nearby, and we try to stay between the dotted lines rather than weaving across three lanes of traffic. We tend to assume the causes of most accidents are other people–the terrible drivers out there just waiting around the next corner to ruin our day–but there’s more to it than that.
Only one of the top five listed causes of most accidents is truly out of the driver’s control–weather. If the road is wet and visibility is challenged, it is more likely that two cars can slide out of control or perhaps just not see one another in time. The best way to avoid weather-related accidents is to drive at a safe speed for the current conditions even if that speed is well below the usual posted limit, keep your headlights on, don’t follow too closely and be as patient with other drivers as you can knowing you are all struggling with the same problems.
Accidents caused by poor weather, however, make up a small percentage of the total. Driving distracted is one of the biggest causes, as drivers look away from the road for some reason. Perhaps they are looking at the accident in the next lane and not realizing they are about to cause one of their own, or perhaps they are trying to find their place on the map. To take it a step further, multitasking while driving is terribly dangerous. While not everyone uses their mirror to shave or apply make-up, just about everyone has tried to eat a sandwich or balance their commuter mug against the steering wheel and that juggle can be all it takes.
There are internal problems that can be just as dangerous as those we can see outside ourselves. It is very common to speed if you’re driving angry or upset, something that also leads most people to think about things other than the road. There’s nothing illegal about over-the-counter cold medicine, but it can be just as dangerous, and as prosecutable, as drunk driving. Perhaps the biggest problem many drivers face is fatigue. Drivers who end up hitting a tree or swerving into oncoming traffic didn’t mean to do it and they likely argued with themselves that if they pushed just a little farther they could rest comfortably in their own bed rather than sleeping by the side of the road.
We shouldn’t assume that “terrible drivers” are lurking in dark alleys like monsters, trying to choose their next victim. Auto accidents are caused by people who are likely much better drivers most of the time. If there is ever an accident that might involve injury or significant damage, always all an auto accident lawyer for an opinion. If you might be at fault you’re going to want someone to talk to, and if it turns out that the other driver chose the wrong moment to look away then they should be responsible for the medical bills.
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