A recent story in Slate Magazine points out that there are 6 million car accidents every year in the United States. Of those, Florida auto accidents account for nearly 88,000 statewide, and more than 7,000 Florida auto accidents happen in Orange County. The name of the ongoing I-4 Ultimate Improvement Project implies that Central Florida’s busiest roadway will be safer. But in the meantime, construction confusion is actually causing more Orlando car accidents.
While technology improvements and highway safety designs can help reduce car crashes, drivers cause most car accidents. The coming of self-driving vehicles is touted as a way to reduce driver error. They are still working the bugs out on that technology, however. So until drivers can be replaced altogether, experts are studying ways to make them safer.
6 Main Causes of Florida Auto Accidents
According to Slate, the 6 main causes of Florida auto accidents are:
- The Rolling Right Turn at the Red Light. The law requires drivers to make a full stop at red light intersections where right turns are permitted. But most people roll slowly through the turn while looking to their left. In the meantime, if a biker or pedestrian appears on the right, it’s often too late to avoid a collision. This type of driving causes 6% of car accidents, and 21% of the fatalities happen to children.
- Falling Asleep at the Wheel. According to recent studies, almost 40% of drivers have fallen asleep at the wheel at least once in their driving careers. Driving while sleeping causes 7% of all car accidents and 21% of car accident deaths.
- Aggressive Driving. Aggressive maneuvers and taking curves faster than you can handle leads to loss of control. Loss of control leads to about 5% of all car accidents.
- Blind Spots. Experts say that drivers often take the chance that what they can’t see won’t hurt them. In other words, they too often assume that there’s no motorcycle on the other side of the school bus, or no kids ready dart out from behind the hedge.
- Safe Distance. About 30% of car accidents happen because drivers don’t leave enough room to brake.
- Distracted Driving. Texting and cell phone use, as well as fiddling with other gadgets while driving has reversed a long decline in American traffic fatalities.
Martinez Manglardi Florida Auto Accident Attorneys can help you recover losses due to accidents caused by negligence. Call 407-846-2240 for a free consultation. Offices throughout Central Florida.
