Common Causes of Car Accidents in West Palm Beach Florida
Nationwide, there are five driver behaviors that cause the majority of car accidents. These are:
- Speeding
- Distracted Driving
- Drunk Driving
- Aggressive Driving
- Driver Fatigue
Speeding
When a driver is speeding, his ability to approach and adjust to curves or objects in the road is reduced. Speeding decreases the time a driver has to react to a potential danger and increases the distance necessary to stop a vehicle. Most of all, speeding increases the energy released in a car crash, so it increases the likelihood of serious injury and death. According to statistics compiled by the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS), a speed increases from 40 to 60 mph causes the energy released in a car crash to double.
National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) statistics indicate that speeding is a factor in almost one-third of car crashes.
Distracted Driving
Driver distraction is a factor in at least one-quarter of U.S. traffic accidents. Distracted driving is of so much concern that U.S. Transportation Secretary LaHood declared distracted driving an epidemic. He is leading national efforts to ban driver distractions such as text messaging and handheld cell phone use while driving.
According to NHTSA data, use of a wireless device while driving is the number one source of driver inattention. Recent studies show that talking on a cell phone while driving slows a driver’s reaction time as much as a 0.08 BAC and quadruples a driver’s risk of being involved in a car crash.
Cell phone use is just one form of driver distraction. Other causes of West Palm Beach distracted driving accidents include:
- Slowing down to look at an accident (16%)
- Distracted by surrounding scenery (10%)
- Children or other passengers (9%)
- Adjusting your music player (7%)
- Reading while driving (2%)
Drunk Driving
Four young people under the age of 21 die every day due to alcohol-impaired car accidents. In 2009, 9,813 or 32% of all fatal crashes involved a driver under the influence of alcohol.
Aggressive Driving
Reckless or aggressive driver behavior is a common cause of car accidents. Aggressive driving includes “road rage” and behaviors such as rude gestures, frequent lane changes, aggressive tailgating, deliberately preventing another driver from passing, flashing lights at other drivers, failure to regard right-of-way signs, and disregarding traffic signals. These behaviors can lead to serious car accidents.
Driver Fatigue
According to the NHTSA, tired and drowsy drivers cause nearly 100,000 accidents every year in the U.S. Most of these accidents occur between 11 p.m. and 8 a.m.
All these causes of accidents are avoidable!!!
If you have been injured or lost a loved one in a South Florida car accident and the other driver was speeding, distracted, under the influence, aggressive or tired, you have rights. Contact the Law Offices of Craig Goldenfarb, P.A. to schedule a free appointment with a West Palm Beach car crash attorney.
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