Everyone knows that driving safely requires a keen sense of
your surroundings and constantly assessing what other drivers re doing. Being safe however also means using your
common sense. Below are ten very common
mistakes that driver's make that could spell disaster.
Swerving
The No. 1 fatal mistake made by drivers is perhaps the most
simple: not staying in their own lane -- i.e., running off the road or drifting
into the adjacent lane. According to the National Highway Traffic Safety
Administration, in 2007, 15,574 people died in crashes where the driver simply
couldn't stay in the lane.
Driving While Drowsy
This is the equivalent to driving while under the influence,
and in some cases just as deadly. This
generally occurs from 3 a.m. to 6 a.m., times when most people are used to
sleeping.
Drinking and Driving
Every 40 minutes someone dies in a drunk-driving accident.
(In all 50 states, a blood-alcohol level of 0.08 percent or more is considered
illegal, but a little-known fact is that you can be charged with driving while
impaired even if you're under the legal limit.)
Not surprisingly, the decision to get behind the wheel while intoxicated
is made most often at night and on the weekends.
Overcorrecting
When people panic because of conditions, they over correct
or over steer. More than 4 percent of
automobile fatalities a year occur because of drivers over correcting. Driving carefully can reduce the probability
of over steering or over correcting.
Speeding
Whether you are going faster than the posted speed limit or
too fast for conditions danger awaits.
Once you hit 55 mph, you're in the danger zone: 30 percent of fatalities
occur at 55 or above. Though it seems like common sense, speed can be deadly.
Failure to Yield
Right of Way
For drivers age 70 and above, failing to yield while merging
into traffic is the top cause of crashes. In a recent study by the Insurance
Institute for Highway Safety, drivers 80 and older simply fail to see the other
vehicle they should be yielding to.
Failing to yield the right of was the fifth leading cause of death in
2007.
Erratic or Reckless
Driving
At its mildest, we're talking about weaving and tailgating;
at its most severe, this kind of driving involves steering down the wrong side
of the road, exceeding the speed limit by 20 mph or doing more than 80 mph, and
worse. Reckless driving can bring fines, jail time -- and death. More than 1,850
fatalities in 2007 were the result of erratic or reckless drivers.
Running Red Lights
A whopping 75 percent of automobile crashes occur in cities. NHTSA statistics show that of the 41,059
automobile fatalities in 2007, 54 percent occurred in cars that sustained
frontal damage. When you cut it too
close while running a light, your front end or another car's front end is impacted.
Either way, it's a recipe for a deadly accident.
Not Wearing a Seat
Belt
Despite the fact that seat belt use is far more prevalent
than even a decade ago -- not to mention being legally required -- 33 percent of
people who die in vehicle fatalities failed to buckle up. Without a seat belt,
car drivers and passengers put themselves at risk of being ejected from a
vehicle, and 76 percent of the time the ejection ends in death.
Inattentive Driving
Eating, talking on a cell phone, typing text messages and
fumbling with the car stereo all fall under the umbrella of inattentive
driving, which was responsible for 4,704 deaths in 2007. Putting on makeup, eating fast food and
reading is a recipe for disaster.
Safe driving not only depends on what you are doing while driving, but the habits of others driving around you. Many accidents are caused by the mistakes listed above. If you or a loved one has been injured in an accident, make sure that you have aggressive and knowledgeable lawyers who will fight for you. The team at Cohn & Swartzon, P.C. have over 21 years of combined legal experience in dealing with these types of cases.
