Car accidents may happen in a split second, very abruptly, that one could only notice it has already taken place after a momentary blackout. A lot of factors have been raised as to why these types of accidents occur on the roads, in the less congested traffic, freeways and the like. Drivers are claiming they are very cautious in their driving, and they are adhering on the required standards of law in exercising duty of care. Duty is indeed crucial in this matter. However, whenever duty is breached, the cause of damage is mostly fatal. United States statistics reported there are about 10.8% of accidents contributed by motor vehicle accidents as of the year 2009, and 35.9% of deaths resulting from car collisions. There are over 33,000 of traffic fatalities listed on Census.gov 2012 Statistical Abstract, and sometimes larger than the previous years. From this point we can see how road accidents contribute to the number of death toll in the United States. The question remains, what is the cause of these accidents? Is it the driver who acted negligently? Or the other driver? I have listed two major causes of unprecedented accidents below that most likely to contribute most accidents on the road. Distracted Driving This is the most common cause as to why accidents happen, even if some drivers never admit their fault. Most of the road accidents more likely to have contributory negligence on both drivers. If one driver acts negligently, the other driver who is in his proper state of mind can avoid the foreseeable accident to happen. Thus, avoiding accident. But if both of them have been in other words out of their focus while driving or been distracted while driving, this type of accident is very close. There are four elements of distracted driving, namely; texting and driving, listening to music while driving, talking to phone and eating. Texting and Driving – Because of the growing influence of cellular phones or mobile devices nowadays, the craze of sending short messages is everywhere. Even while driving, people never miss one single beep to check on. This type of act can take the driver's focus away from the road, thus resulting most accidents. While driving, drivers are required to have undivided attention or focus on the road. This will keep things under control whenever unprecedented event may happen. Listening to Music – I do not know who to be blamed on this built-in stereo in cars. But music is one of the factors that contribute road accidents. Music can distract the driver especially when he attempts to change CDs in the CD player or whether he is listening to MP3 music with headphones on. Loud music may muffle emergency alarms or horns of the other cars when accidents or objects are close to impact. So, the driver at hand, may fail to regain his concentration, thus accident occurs. Phone Calls – Attempting to answer a phone call or receiving a phone call while driving is strictly prohibited. When some important calls barge in, authorities require to wear headsets. It is strongly prohibited to answer a phone call using one hand and the other hand on the wheel. Eating and Driving – Eating also belongs to the elements of distracted driving. While eating, the driver needs to use his one hand and the other on the wheel. This may put the situation to risk whenever unprecedented event happens on the road like sleepy driver in the other car, pedestrian crossing and objects on the road. Driving While Intoxicated DWI or DUI is considered as another major cause of car accidents in United States. When we speak about DUI or driving under the influence, it denotes something criminal, not an ordinary traffic infraction or civil charge. This may involve the use of intoxicated drinks or illegal drugs that impair driver's vision. This type of case is often heard in the criminal courts but may sometimes heard in civil courts specially when the victim chooses to file a suit in the civil courts with property damages or personal injury charges. Nevertheless, this caused most of road accidents that lead to serious injury, severe wounds, deformities and even deaths. DUI must be discussed in a separate sheet as it requires to be explained thoroughly regarding how the offenses may be awarded, however this is certainly part of the major causes, so it is included here. Driver errors contribute most of the road accidents. The said errors have discussed, namely; distracted driving and driving while intoxicated. Regardless how drivers would spare some reasons, they are certainly part of the negligent conduct. It is now the job of a car accident attorney to make their client prevail in the suit. ABOUT THE AUTHOR: Atty. Daniel Dolan II is an experienced Florida Personal Injury Attorney. He is the founder of the Dolan Law Firm established in Miami, Florida . Atty. Dolan is very skillful especially in handling cases involving motor vehicle accident lawsuits, wrongful deaths claims, medical malpractice and mass torts. In addition, he is an eagle member of the Academy of Florida Trial Lawyers, and selected to serve as chairman of the Dade County Legislative Recruitment Task Force.
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