When people get behind the wheel in Burlington County, they can encounter an array of dangers and distracted, negligent or dangerous drivers. All too frequently, these hazards can lead to damaging car accidents and long-term injuries. While a good deal of attention has been paid to the problem of phone use and texting while driving, non-technological distracted driving can also pose a threat to drivers and passengers on the roadways.
In a report by Erie Insurance assessing the causes of car accidents across the country, they noted that one-tenth of all fatalities in crashes were caused by distracted driving. While some of these cases involved people texting, using the internet or otherwise being distracted by their devices, 61 percent of these fatal car accidents involved at least one driver who said they were lost in thought or daydreaming. By not keeping their mind and their eyes on the road, these drivers helped to cause the crashes that took 172,000 lives over the past five years.
The same study noted similar results over the many years that it has been performed by the insurance firm. There are some attempts to use technology to reduce the danger of human distraction behind the wheel. For example, automated or self-driving technologies aim to lessen the risk of human error. Automation technologies as they exist still require drivers to continue to pay attention to the road, but in some cases, drivers can have a false sense of complacency and fail to respond to alerts from the automated technologies.
Distraction may be human nature, but the consequences to others on the road can be catastrophic. People who have been injured in car accidents caused by another driver’s negligent or dangerous driving may work with a personal injury lawyer. An attorney may be able to help accident victims recover compensation for the damages they have suffered.