Personal Injury Law

Holiday traveling turns tragic for some

By Ryan Bradley, Esq.

Thanksgiving is a time for being with family and friends and this often means lots of traveling. In fact, 33 million Americans will travel at least 50 miles by car to see their loved ones, according to a NPR report. This extra traffic will be accompanied by a tragic increase in the number of car accident deaths and injuries.

According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, 400 people were killed in car and truck accidents last year over the four-day Thanksgiving weekend. Many more were injured.

These facts should not scare anybody from their holiday plans. The vast majority of people embarking on a Thanksgiving trip will arrive safely and without incident. What these numbers should do is cause drivers to pause and examine their driving habits. Safe driving practices can dramatically reduce your chances of being involved in an accident.

Depending on which demographic group you look at and your definition of driver error, 70 to 95 percent of all car accidents are caused by a driver error. This means that 70 to 95 percent of accidents are preventable and can be eliminated if drivers were simply more aware of their unsafe habits. Negligence behind the wheel such as excessive speeding, overly aggressive driving and being distracted by portable electronic devices are major causes of these preventable accidents.

If someone is injured by another driver's negligence, the at-fault driver's insurance is required to pay for the damages caused to the injured party. This procedure may sound simple enough, but often it is more complicated. Negligence or fault may be hard to determine or both drivers may share a portion of liability for the accident. Insurance companies may also look for ways to avoid paying for an accident. Other times the at-fault driver's insurance may not be enough to cover the medical bills after a serious accident or the driver may have no insurance at all. All of these potential complications are good reasons to consult a car accident attorney after an accident.

Full post as published by Missouri Accident Lawyer Blog on November 21, 2009 (boomark / email).