Even with improved technology and greater focus on driver safety, car accidents remain commonplace. From minor fender-benders to catastrophic head-on collisions, these crashes can have severe repercussions for all involved parties involved.
However, many crashes can be avoided through defensive driving and compliance with traffic laws. Stay at least three seconds behind the vehicle ahead, or extend that time when weather conditions worsen.
1. Human Error
Car accidents are tragic events, but they’re also preventable. Research suggests that human error accounts for at least 90 percent of accidents. Drivers may insist they’re above average drivers while criticizing others around them for making errors; but sometimes accidents cannot be avoided entirely.
Human errors can generally be divided into three main categories. Perceptual error refers to critical information falling below the threshold for seeing; perhaps lights were too dim or pedestrian clothing was lacking contrast. On other occasions, though detectable information might exist but was overlooked due to having too much on one’s mind or other priorities taking priority at that moment in time.
Performance errors fall within the scope of human errors, and include misjudging a curve’s radius or speed of another vehicle. These physical mistakes by drivers are dangerous. And a car accident lawyer will be needed to help you get financial compensation.
2. Vehicle Defect
Though driving poses inherent risks, many New York car accident victims sustain serious injuries because their cars contain hidden dangers. From design flaws to manufacturing issues, defective vehicles may cause crashes or make existing collisions worse; among the most serious of these accidents are whiplash injuries as well as knee trauma from colliding into dashboards, steering wheels or doors.
Rarely is a car defect the sole factor underlying an accident, such as distracted or aggressive drivers or poor intersection designs. Yet that does not excuse car manufacturers from ignoring or concealing serious issues in their vehicles until it’s too late – Morgan & Morgan attorneys can determine if you have product liability claims against the auto manufacturer, distributor or repair shop involved.
3. Road Design
Even though many causes of car accidents lie beyond our control, we should remain aware that much can be done to mitigate them. This includes taking steps to decrease manual distractions, cognitive distractions and reckless behaviors such as speeding, weaving through traffic without yielding the right of way, disobeying traffic signals or driving while impaired.
Design of roads is one of the key determinants of driving safety. Crash sites may occur where sudden changes to their character surprise drivers; such as sharp curves or places with shorter radius vertical curves than adjacent segments.
Roadways constructed with cross slopes may increase the chance of vehicle skidding or sliding, and may make it harder for drivers to see potential dangers and take appropriate actions.
4. Weather
Weather-related car accidents are unfortunately all too common, accounting for 5,300 deaths and 418,000 injuries reported between 2007 and 2016. Wet roads, snow, ice and fog all pose unique hazards that contribute to weather-related crashes.
Fog, sleet, rain, snow and ice all serve to reduce visibility, making driving more difficult. Furthermore, these conditions increase stopping distances and decrease traction – further increasing the odds that a driver loses control of their vehicle.
All drivers owe it to themselves and other drivers on the road to exercise reasonable care when driving; however, in poor weather conditions this may not always be feasible. Furthermore, it can be extremely challenging determining who was at fault in an accident caused by severe weather; for instance, evidence such as tree branches blocking signs can often be removed quickly and documents lost completely after an incident has taken place; an experienced New York City car accident lawyer should therefore be sought when crashes do happen to assist in establishing fault.
