Common Forms of Driver Negligence

Even with the pandemic, a greater push for traffic safety has started, as estimates reveal that approximately 8,700 people still died in auto crashes in the first quarter of 2021, which is an increase of 10.5% from 2020.

When you suffer injuries and need to file a car accident claim, understanding the most common causes of auto crashes is immensely crucial. These include inclement weather conditions, defective vehicles and parts, and the leading cause of auto accidents - driver errors due to negligence. To discuss your specific case, please contact our Santa Barbara car accident lawyers directly.

Understanding Driver Negligence

Put simply, driver negligence occurs when a driver fails to uphold their legal duty of care to other road users, and their actions result in injury or death to other people. Driver negligence includes various scenarios that involve the following driver errors:

Impaired Driving

Driving while impaired with drugs and/or alcohol contributes to a substantial number of auto crashes in California. In 2019, there were 1,066 alcohol-impaired driving deaths, and half of all drivers who died in auto crashes tested positive for drugs.

Distracted Driving

Multitasking has been proven by various studies to be a myth. The brain simply isn’t capable of doing multiple things at once, especially when driving. Instead, you switch tasks, which means that when you’re doing something else, like looking at your mobile phone while driving, talking to a passenger, or looking for a song to play, you are technically not focused on the road and the things happening around you, which leads to distracted driving.

Fatigued Driving

Fatigue slows down a driver’s reaction time and increases their risk of getting into an accident. Likewise, it raises the risk of cloudy thinking and falling asleep while driving.

Reckless Driving

Aggressive driving, road rage, tailgating, and switching lanes too quickly are all forms of reckless driving. This also includes running stop signs and red lights. All these reckless driving tactics decrease a driver’s ability to safely steer around objects and curves, lengthen safe stopping distances, and reduce the time that drivers need to respond to dangerous situations. In addition, driving down a one-way street in the wrong lane occurs more commonly than you might think.

Speeding

While speeding is technically considered reckless driving, it’s such a huge contributor to different kinds of auto accidents that it deserves a special mention. In one year, 3,623 auto accident deaths in California were related to speeding. Speeding-related crashes are defined as accidents in which drivers were racing or driving too fast for the posted speed limits or the specific road conditions.

Consult with Our Skilled Ventura Car Accident Lawyers Today

When someone, whether another driver, passenger, pedestrian, bicyclist, or another road user, suffers injuries due to the negligence of another driver, the injured victim has the right to pursue fair compensation for their losses. And the experienced Ventura car accident lawyers of Bamieh & De Smeth can help you do just that.

Call 805-643-5555 or contact us online to schedule your free consultation today and learn more about the best legal options for your car accident claim.