5 Ways Driver Negligence Can Hurt You (Pt. 2)

Resuming 5 Ways Driver Negligence Can Hurt You (Pt. 1), here, we’ll highlight some more prominent ways in which motorists can be negligent and, in doing so, cause traffic accidents.

More Prominent Forms of Driver Negligence

3 – Distracted Driving

Likened to carrying the same risks as drunk driving, distracted driving is another prominent form of driver negligence that is needlessly causing people to get hurt and even die on U.S. roadways every day. In fact, while there have always been distractions threatening to divert motorists’ attention from the roads, the prevalence of cellphones and portable electronic devices, including GPS, has made this an increasing problem over the past decade or so.

According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), when it comes to distracted driving in the U.S., one of the primary problems is motorists texting and driving. Specifically, this form of distracted driving:

• Contributes (at least in part) to more than 23 percent of all traffic accidents in the U.S.
• Kills more than 10 teens every day in the U.S.
• Is 6 times more likely to lead to traffic accidents than drunk driving
• Slows down motorists’ critical reaction times, including braking reaction times, by more than 15 percent.

4 – Driving while Fatigued

Although this form of driver negligence has been seen as more of a problem for commercial motorists (like truck drivers), driver fatigue is a problem that can impact any motorist and that can lead to deadly results. In fact, when it comes to driver fatigue, U.S. transportation safety officials have found that this form of driver negligence:

• Can overcome motorists who have had about 5 hours of sleep for two consecutive nights
• Can impact motorists who have been awake for 24 consecutive hours
• Can severely impair drivers’ abilities to perceive and appropriately respond to their surroundings and changing driving conditions
• Can lead to impairments that are just as severe as those displayed by motorists who have blood alcohol levels of 0.10 (which is well over the legal limit for any driver on a U.S. roadway).

Be sure to check out the final installment of this blog series for some more important info about driver negligence and motor vehicle accidents.

Colorado Springs Car Accident Lawyer at Shakeshaft and Gorman Law Firm, P.C.

Have you or a loved one been hurt in a traffic accident caused by a negligent driver? If so, Colorado Springs Car Accident Lawyer Kenneth Shakeshaft is ready to advocate your rights, help you recover financially and ultimately help you put your life back together.

To talk about your case and learn more about your best options for moving forward, schedule a free initial consultation with us today by calling (719) 635-5886 or (800) 383-5886. You can also email us using the contact form on this page. We don’t get paid unless or until you get paid, so you have nothing to lose and everything to gain by contacting us today.

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Categories: Blog, Car Accidents, Distracted Driving, Driver Negligence