Car accidents and crashes are not always fatal, but that doesn’t mean that those involved get to immediately walk away. Getting injured in an accident can lead to weeks, months, or even years of pain. According to Driver Knowledge, the average number of car accidents in the U.S. every year is 6 million, with approximately 3 million people a year sustaining injuries. Though not all injuries are permanent, they still affect the way a person lives long after the accident. This is why road safety awareness is so important.
The Lack of Road Safety Awareness
Driver Knowledge also calculates that road accidents occur due to acts of recklessness, with 40% of fatal accidents being caused by people driving under the influence of alcohol. It reports that 30% were due to speeding and a further 33 percent were caused by acts of general recklessness behind the wheel. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) have interestingly reported that in the US, front seat belt use was lower than in most other countries. This indicates that there is still a lot of work to be done to prevent accidents on the road.
For some people, being in a car crash might just entail fixing a dent in your car, but for others, the effects can be much worse. That’s why it is important for all drivers to understand what proper road safety looks like and consult with a car accident lawyer should the worst happen.
Why It Factors Into Accidents
It goes without saying that a distracted driver will surely cause an accident. Driving requires 100% of your concentration, and for you to be able to keep several things in mind at once. You must keep control of the car and have your eyes on the road to ensure you don’t collide with any other vehicles or pedestrians. But an inebriated driver, a driver who is texting, or a driver who is ignoring speed limits and road signs is not properly concentrating. To drive safely, you need to be completely aware of your vehicle’s movements and your surroundings. Losing focus for a few seconds is all it takes for something to go awry.
Finding A Solution
Statistics like those mentioned previously are terrifying to think about, yet they still remain high year after year. Safer America transcribed that there were “38,800 people killed in car accidents in the United States in recent years, just a 2% drop from the 39,404 deaths of 2018. This suggests that publishing statistics alone is not enough to teach road safety awareness and a wider solution is needed.
It is better to address the problem as early as possible. So, appropriate road safety should be taught to all children in education before they become old enough to drive. Perhaps mandated tests about road safety need to be introduced for all drivers, even those who have never been in a crash, in order to keep awareness current. But expecting victims of reckless drivers to cope with their pain is not enough. Real change is needed now.