Auto accidents kill over 2,500 people each year in Florida, and while some of these accidents were unavoidable, the majority of them were caused by driver error. As many as 95% of the people killed on the roads each year would still be alive if drivers slowed down, stopped drinking and kept their eyes on the road.
Distracted drivers are leading cause of auto accidents, and mobile phones are the leading cause of distracted drivers. Over 1.4 million accidents are caused by cellphone conversations each year and over 200,000 by texting.
Another big cause of distraction is rubbernecking, but these accidents rarely involve a fatality as people usually slow down to gawk at an accident or something else.
Driver fatigue is another leading cause of accidents. While we can all point fingers at drunk drivers and people talking on mobile phones, few of us can honestly say that we have never driven while we were tired.
The accidents caused by driver fatigue tend to be high-speed and horrific. Many fatigue-based accidents often involve head on collisions, as a car with a sleeping driver veers into oncoming traffic.
Drunk drivers kill over 10,000 people on the nation’s roads each year, and more than a third of all accident fatalities involve alcohol. Drivers can be seriously impaired even when under the legal limit, and the only truly safe blood alcohol level is 0.0.
Most drunk drivers are not evil people, and they usually believe that they are able to drive without risk. To stop this carnage it must be nipped in the bud, and young people who feel they are immortal should learn the consequences.
Accidents that involve excessive speed, usually lead to more serious injuries and higher fatalities. More than 75 percent of drivers admit to speeding on a regular basis.
Once again, the culprits are drivers with inflated views of their skills behind the wheel. The stopping distance of a car traveling at 70mph is 75 feet longer than one traveling at 60mph. That could be the difference between life and death.
Traffic accidents usually involve two or more vehicles, and while one driver is probably speeding, sleeping, distracted or drunk, the others are just going about their business.
Victims of careless or incapacitated drivers often suffer debilitating injuries, which can last a lifetime, and many don’t even make it to the hospital. Fortunately, most negligent drivers have insurance, so at least an experienced attorney can see that they pay financially for the damage they cause.