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What Are The Top Causes of Car Accidents?

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An interesting report by the Auto Insurance Center recently looked at data from every fatal car accident recorded by NHSTA from 2009 through 2013 to determine the leading cause in each state for driving fatalities, including drivers, passengers, and pedestrians.

The most common dangerous behaviors were:

Failure to keep in the proper lane
Failure to yield the right of way
Reckless, careless, or distracted driving
Overcorrecting
Not adjusting to the road surface
Driving on the wrong side of the road
Not adjusting to a road obstruction
Operating without the required equipment
Making an improper turn.

Common Causes of Car Accidents

It’s practically a rite of passage, and usually “the other guy’s fault.” Whether you’ve seen a wreck happen or had a fender-bender of your own, there’s no denying that car crashes result in serious injuries and fatalities every year. Traffic accidents are the primary cause of injury in the United States, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, with almost 7,000 people each day going to the emergency room with injuries from motor vehicle crashes. To make matters worse, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHSTA) reports that there were approximately 32,675 fatalities from motor vehicle collisions in 2014.

If you have been hurt in a traffic accident, or have lost someone you love in such an accident, it is important to contact a car accident lawyer. The Mann Law Firm can help by reviewing your circumstances and discussing all available legal options. Call us at (478) 742-3381 or fill out our online form. We would like to meet with you to discuss your case, and we are proud to offer free initial consultations.

Data compiled by the NHSTA reveals that there were 1,164 fatalities in Georgia in 2014 and that 24 percent of them were due to alcohol impairment. Statistics released by the Georgia Department of Transportation (GDOT) show a 25 percent increase in fatalities in the first quarter of 2015 compared to 2014.

This increases the average number of fatalities a month to 100, which puts Georgia on track to have over 1,200 fatalities for the year – the highest in almost a decade.

Failing to stay in the correct lane was the most deadly driving behavior in more than 30 states, including Georgia. The report also concluded that deaths from drunken driving and from speeding are more prevalent in rural areas than urban ones.

Certainly driving under the influence of alcohol is a problem across the country. The FBI estimates that almost 300,000 incidents of drunk driving occur every day, but fewer than 4,000 people are actually arrested. There were 9,967 alcohol-impaired driving fatalities nationwide in 2014. Here in Georgia, almost 3,700 people were killed in crashes involving a drunk driver from 2003 to 2012. Even just getting buzzed by consuming a few drinks is enough to affect one’s driving because alcohol is a depressant that slows reaction time, makes it harder to focus, and reduces ability to properly judge situations.

Just as dangerous as driving under the influence is driving while distracted. Whether texting, talking on the phone, programming a GPS, eating, talking to passengers or adjusting the music, anything that diverts a driver’s attention away from the road can mean trouble. The value of having one’s hands on the wheel and eyes on the road is maximized when the brain is fully engaged. A recent survey by the AAA Foundation for Traffic Safety found that one-third of drivers asked say that they often engage in risky behavior while driving, even though they have a loved one who was killed or seriously hurt in a crash. These drivers believe their actions are unacceptable, yet refuse to change their habits.

Contact Our Accident Lawyers For Assistance

If you were injured or lost a loved one due to someone’s failure to drive alert or sober, the Mann Law Firm can help. We aggressively seek full and fair compensation for our clients, and are always willing to take a case to trial if necessary. The compensation available in a car crash claim may include payment of medical bills, compensation for lost wages and future lost income, compensation for pain and suffering, and for emotional distress. If you lost a loved one, you could be entitled to compensation in a wrongful death claim.

We have been successfully litigating personal injury cases across Georgia for over 50 years. Our job is to examine the circumstances of what caused the accident while focusing on our client’s future. With our experience, we know how to seek compensation from all possible sources, and we will carefully calculate your past, current and future losses to get you the best possible recovery. While we cannot guarantee the outcome of any case, we can promise to listen, to advise, and to deliver unwavering legal advocacy on your behalf. Contact us at (478) 742-3381 or use our convenient online contact form. Let us help you.