Factors Contributing to Car Accidents
Although, the law requires each driver to practice reasonable care while on the road, many fail to do so and their negligence often leads to a tragic car accident involving property damages and serious injuries, including fractures, spinal cord injury, brain injury and death.
The most common driver errors that lead to car accidents include: traffic violations, driver error and/or distraction, equipment failure, and flawed road design and layout.
Traffic Violations: Traffic laws are rules that govern traffic, regulate vehicles and facilitate the orderly and timely flow of traffic. Drivers are expected to obey traffic laws in order to avoid a collision with another vehicle, object, cyclist and/or pedestrian. Breaking traffic laws leads to traffic violations that could cause a car accident. The most common traffic violations include speeding, running a red light or a stop sign, tailgating, losing control of the vehicle, failing to use a turn signal, driving on the wrong side of the road, crossing the median, failing to stop for pedestrians, reckless driving, drunk driving and a number of others.
Driver Error and/or Distractions: Driver errors caused by distractions and/or impairment are among the most common factors that contribute to car accidents. Distraction is anything that diverts the driver's attention from the road. Talking on a cell phone is the leading cause of driver distraction that causes thousands of car accidents each year. In fact, drivers who use a cell phone while driving are four times more likely to get in a car accident according to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA).Although cell phones have become a more recent problem, impaired driving has been an issue for decades and has resulted in some of the most disturbing statistics and a number of movements, including the formation of Mothers Against Drunk Driving (MADD). In 2008, drunk driving crashes led to 31.6 percent of all unnecessary car accident deaths, according to NHTSA. Drunk driving cases often result in much higher verdicts and DUI settlements than any other type of car accident injury cases.
Equipment Failure: Mechanical failures can also lead to car accidents and are, in some cases, a direct result of negligence on the part of the owner of the car, a mechanic and/or the manufacturer. If you suspect that equipment failure or a manufacturing defect contributed to your car, motorcycle, bicycle or truck accident, you should contact an experienced auto accidents attorney who can help further investigate your claim and obtain compensation for your property damages and injuries. The amount of personal injury settlement depends on many factors, including the extent of property loss and medical bills.
Road Conditions: Although road conditions can be affected by many factors, including bad weather, road conditions and/or flawed design, some poor road conditions may also be caused by negligence. The negligent party could be a construction company and/or the government. The most common road conditions that lead to car accidents include: failure to fix a road problem, lack of traffic control and/or devices, and failure to display warning signs during road construction. Filing a personal injury lawsuit against a big company and/or the government can be quite complicated and certainly requires legal advice and representation. Contact a reputable attorney in order to maximize your chances of obtaining rightful car accident compensation.