A safe driver strives to always keep their full attention on the primary task: driving. Nothing else is more important when you’re behind the wheel, and safe drivers are aware of that. They always act carefully because they understand what could happen if they drop their guard and let their attention wander.
Safe drivers are also often defensive drivers. They respect the rules of the road, understanding that those rules are in place to protect them and others from car accidents and injuries. They also know those rules establish that every driver owes a duty to every other traveler to exercise reasonable care to prevent car accidents, and they take that duty seriously. This is a major characteristic of a safe driver.
Careful Drivers Abide By All Traffic Laws and Safety Rules
Most wrecks occur because of carelessness or other negligence. Drivers make mistakes. These errors are accidental, but they damage the victims and disrupt everyone involved. This also means that most traffic collisions are preventable.
When a driver knows the traffic laws and pays careful attention to abide by them, they are unlikely to cause an injury accident or even a fender-bender. To hold a driver responsible for a crash, the victim must prove they acted negligently. Four elements show negligence and fault that occurred in an accident. They are:
- The driver had a duty to act in a specific way, following a traffic law, to keep everyone safe.
- They breached or failed to keep that duty.
- This breach caused a collision.
- The victim suffered documented damages because of the collision.
If a driver does not breach their duty and violate a traffic law, there is no way to prove fault. They cannot cause a crash without acting in a way that endangers others. Safe, careful drivers are less likely to cause accidents because they breach their duty less often.
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Distracted Driving’s Role in Car Accidents and Injuries
According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), distracted driving is one of the biggest dangers on the nation’s roadways today. In 2019, 3,142 people died in the United States in crashes involving distracted drivers, per the NHTSA’s report.
Texting and driving—whether reading, typing, or otherwise interacting with their phone—is the most widely known driver distraction. However, it is far from the only one. Other common causes of distractions include:
- Tuning the radio or changing the station
- Looking at or setting a GPS or navigation app
- Talking on the phone
- Talking to passengers
- Children or pets in the vehicle
- Mental distractions due to stress or exhaustion
- Distractions outside of the car
The number of distracted driving crashes is likely underreported. It is almost impossible to prove that certain distractions caused a crash, especially if the distraction was mental or occurred because of something going on outside of the car.
You have probably seen it yourself—someone in an adjacent lane typing a text while veering too closely to your car door. This is not a safe driving practice, and a safe driver will stop before making a phone call, answering a text, updating social media, or otherwise using their phone. They will also pay careful attention to the task before them and try to avoid other distractions.
Driver Safety Plays an Essential Role in Car Accident Injury Lawsuits
In two of our recent jury trials in Mississippi, every prospective juror agreed that driving is more dangerous today than it ever has been. During the jury selection process, one juror commented that we need to focus more on teaching driver safety to young people in the same way we teach things like drug and alcohol awareness. At the Morris Bart law firm, we agree.
No driver is perfect, and no one can be flawless behind the wheel. Mistakes will happen. However, there are many things a safe driver will do in almost every situation that prevents crashes and keeps everyone safe. This often boils down to:
- Paying careful attention to where they are going
- Knowing the applicable laws
- Observing what others around them are doing
- Reacting to each situation appropriately
While most drivers know they need to do each of these things and how to manage them, few actually do them regularly. Instead, we are in too much of a hurry, have too many other things to do, or are not fully focused on the task.
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Contact Morris Bart, LLC, about Your Car Accident Injuries
If you suffered a car accident injury, a personal injury attorney from the Morris Bart law firm will review your case with you. We offer a free case evaluation with one of our lawyers to accident victims in Alabama, Arkansas, Louisiana, and Mississippi.
We will review the details of your case and offer advice about your rights and possible legal strategies if we seek compensation on your behalf. Call (800) 537-8185 to speak with our attorney team today.
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