Florida Injury Lawyer Blog
The AAA Foundation for Traffic Safety has issued its 22nd annual “Traffic Safety Culture Index,” which aims to measure the prevalence of common road risks, and drivers’ reactions to them.
The study measures drivers’ perceived danger, risk of getting caught, perceived social approval for risky driving, and their support for laws and policies designed to curtail such risks.
Our injury lawyers in Fort Myers and Cape Coral know the vast majority of traffic “accidents,” are in reality caused by one or more driver errors or poor driving behaviors. Measuring perception helps tell safety advocates where to best focus their attention and public awareness campaigns.
Top Motor-Vehicle Accident Risks
The report looked at four leading causes of collisions: Distracted driving, aggressive driving, drowsy driving and impaired driving. Among the findings:
Distracted Driving:
- More than 8 in 10 drivers viewed using a hand-held cellphone to be a risk while driving. However, only 1 in 5 viewed a hands-free device as being very or extremely dangerous. (Studies continue to show the cognitive impairment of hands-free systems are about equal to those of a hand-held device.)
- Most drivers support laws to curb the worst abuses of hand-held distraction. Nevertheless, 43.2% of drivers report having driven while talking on a hand-held cellphone at least once in the past 30 days, while about a third admitted to reading or sending texts or emails.
Aggressive Driving:
- More than half view speeding as dangerous driving behavior. Yet, while two-thirds said drivers should be ticketed for going 15 mph over the speed limit, about half admitted to doing so in the last 30 days.
- Over 86% of drivers report speeding through a red light to be very or extremely dangerous. Drivers with a violation in the last two years were found to be at significantly greater risk of being involved in an accident.
Drowsy Driving Behaviors:
• Nearly universally, drivers think drowsy driving is very dangerous, however only about 1 in 4 think police do a good job of enforcement. And an equal number admitted to having driven while so tired they could hardly keep their eyes open.
Impaired Driving Behaviors:
- Most drivers (94%) perceive driving after drinking as very or extremely dangerous. However, almost 10% admit to having done so in the past 30 days.
- 7 in 10 drivers see driving within an hour of consuming marijuana to be extremely dangerous. Impairment by prescription or illicit drug use continues to be a growing focus of safety advocates amid relaxing marijuana laws and the opioid epidemic.
These common risk factors illustrate why an experienced injury attorney must thoroughly review the facts and circumstances of your motor-vehicle accident. Determining all of the factors contributing to an accident, as well as identifying all responsible parties and determining the full scope of injury and loss, are vital steps to winning the compensation a victim deserves after a serious traffic collision.
If you or a loved one is injured, call Associates and Bruce L. Scheiner, Attorneys for the Injured, at 1-800-646-1210.
