Most Lethal Driving Mistakes That Cause Auto Accident Injuries

In a perfect world every driver on the road around you would execute all maneuvers with precision and control. Unfortunately, whether you are driving in Athens or Elberton, Cartersville or McDonough, you are likely on the road with someone wholly different from the perfect driver. And if you are driving around Atlanta you are on the road with LOTS of people who are wholly different from the perfect driver. This article discusses the most common mistakes that cause automobile accidents.

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration estimates that over 37,000 people were killed in car wrecks in 2008. That sounds like a pretty good reason to become a better driver.

1.) Swerving aka Failure to Maintain Lane
The most common mistake made by drivers is also the most simple to correct - swerving (also known here in Georgia as failure to maintaine lane). Stated simply it involves either running off the road or drifting into another lane. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration estimated that nearly half of all traffic fatalities were caused by drivers who swerved out of their lane.

2.) Driving While Drowsy
The acting chairman of the National Transportation Safety Board has said that driving while fatigued is just as dangerous as driving while impaired by alcohol or drugs. And more traffic fatalities occur between the hours of 3AM and 6AM (when people are accustomed to being a sleep) than any other time of day.

3.) Drinking and Driving
Every 40 minutes someone dies in a drunk-driving accident. The vast majority of drunk drivers are between the ages of 21-34. Here is an amazing statistic - nearly 60 percent of drivers who were killed at night were killed as a result of a drunk driver.

4.) Over-correcting
You are driving along thinking of what you need to cook for dinner when you are jolted by the sound of your tires rumbling off the shoulder. In an instant you jerk your steering wheel back to the left to get your car back on the road. This is a classic example of over-correcting and it is a particularly dangerous driving maneuver.

5.) Speeding
Here is a shocker - speeding or driving too fast for the conditions comprises the second highest cause of death in traffic accidents according to the NHTSA. Speeding is especially dangerous to motorcycle riders. In 2007 nearly 36 percent of motorcycle related deaths involved speeding.

6.) Failure to Yield Right of Way
Accidents resulting from a driver's failure to yield right of way occur at an alarmingly high rate in older drivers. Most frequently these types of accidents occur when a driver fails to see on-coming traffic. I can tell you just from my own practice experience that failure to yield right of way accounts for a high percentage of the cases I take in.

7.) Erratic or Reckless Driving
While a rather broad category that could run the gamut from simply tailgaiting to drag racing, most reckless driving fatalities occur when drivers are driving at excessive speeds - speeds greater than 20 mph of the speed limit. One thing to note about auto accidents caused by reckless driving is the possibility of being awarded punitive damges if the at-fault driver was indeed driving recklessly.

8.) Running Red Lights
A whopping 75 percent of car wrecks occur in cities according to a recent study. The most common cause of accidents in the city is people failing to yield or stop for red lights. Of the many different ways cars can be impacted, frontal impacts are the most dangerous. Of course, trying to "beat" a red-light results most commonly in a frontal impact with another vehicle.

9.) Not Wearing Seat Belts
One might be shocked to learn (I was) that in this day and age people still fail to wear seat belts, but apparently they do. Nearly one third of traffic fatalities involve a failure to wear a seat belt.

10.) Innatentive Driving
Of course, there are any number of things that can distract a well meaning driver, but you can pretty much call this the cell phone factor. Cell phone use while driving increases the chances of accident four fold. Interestingly enough there is no statistical difference between handheld cell usage and hands-free cell usage.

The original article can be found here: Most Lethal Driving Mistakes

Terrell Law Firm has offices in Marietta and Athens, and serves clients throughout the state of Georgia. 

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