Accidents happen, right? There’s often not anything at all that you can do to prevent them. This is true for many auto accidents, at least for some of the drivers involved; yet, the vast majority – a surprisingly vast majority – of auto accidents could have been prevented by at least one of the involved drivers. You might be surprised to learn exactly how many auto accidents that occur in Georgia and throughout the US could have been avoided. That figure is 94%!
That’s 94% of the thousands of accidents that occur each day that at least one of the involved drivers could have prevented from happening at all. In fact, almost all auto accidents are caused by the behavior of at least one driver, and often multiple drivers. The choices you make and the actions you take while driving are the things that cause and prevent auto accidents.
This is why there are so many laws in place that prohibit certain behaviors and require others, because those who know about the causes and frequency of auto accidents are well aware that it all comes down to what you do and what you don’t do as a driver. There are speed limits in place because speeding is a choice that causes accidents. There are laws against drunk driving because drunk driving causes auto accidents. There are laws against distracted driving because distracted driving causes auto accidents. Yet, there are even more behaviors and preventative measures that can prevent auto accidents that you might not have thought about.
How Georgia Drivers Can Prevent Georgia Auto Accidents
Sometimes, there are auto accidents that are caused by factors that nobody could foresee or prevent through appropriate actions. Yet, there are also many auto accidents that seem unpreventable on the surface, but that actually could have been avoided.
For example, an auto accident caused by a defective auto part might be unpreventable – that is, unless it was the result of poor maintenance of your vehicle. If you haven’t had a tune up in a while, then maybe you could have prevented that accident by doing so.
Another example would be an accident caused by icy roads – perhaps driving a bit slower for the weather conditions would have prevented that accident or at least minimized the damage. Then, there are drivers who speed or drive fatigued and fall asleep at the wheel. In many cases, the victims of auto accidents cannot prevent them because it is not their behaviors that caused the accident, but the behaviors of another – but that at-fault driver could have prevented it.
The point is that the vast majority of auto accidents are caused by the behavior of a driver or the lack of action taken by a driver. This is often seen in the trends of driving behaviors as they change over time. There was a time when driving while intoxicated by alcohol was common, but today it is far less common, both because of stricter laws and because of the social stigma that is now associated with such behavior. The same can be said of wearing seatbelts. These days, most drivers will make sure that everyone is buckled up, whereas in the past, it wasn’t such a key concern, and many passengers – even small children – were not restrained properly.
How Technology Minimizes or Raises the Likelihood of Auto Accidents
The improvement of technology has many effects on the likelihood of getting into an auto accident. On one hand, there are more auto accidents caused by distracted driving, thanks to the availability of technology that allows for text messaging, internet browsing, and navigation systems that distract the driver form the road. On the other hand, there are more technologies built into vehicles to prevent auto accidents, like anti-lock brakes, rear view cameras, etc. Choosing a safer vehicle with improved safety features is one way that drivers can help to prevent auto accidents, as is choosing to turn off or ignore their phones while driving.
Seek Compensation from the At-Fault Driver of a Georgia Auto Accident
If you’ve been in an auto accident in Georgia, it was probably preventable, and there is likely someone responsible for the accident and the associated injuries and damages. The best way to recover fair compensation for your damages after a Georgia auto accident is to work with a skilled Georgia car crash attorney to prove liability and the value of those damages. Call The Law Office of John B. Jackson to schedule a free consultation for your auto accident claim, today.
