Traffic is a concept only looking to grow – larger and larger by the minute. Traffic and population are somewhat directly related to each other, and there is no avoiding that. In addition to all problems caused by traffic – collision is one of them.
A traffic collision comes into existence when any motor vehicle collides with another vehicle. It does not necessarily have to be another vehicle; it could be a pedestrian, an animal, static property, a building, a tree, and so on.
Traffic collisions lead to injuries, damage, and even death. It takes a toll on the finances and the emotional well-being of all those involved in the accident.
54 million people suffered at the hands of traffic collisions in 2013 alone. According to recently reported statistics, there were 13,912 crashes in Wilmington, North Carolina alone.
The aftermath
After being a victim of a motor vehicle collision, the impact could bring about many tragic possibilities, which include:
Monetary Loss
This is due to the fact that when a vehicle collides with other living or non-living matters, the impact it leaves is more than often so strong that it leaves behind nothing but residue.
At best, the victim would be left with severely damaged objects. This results in harsh monetary loss as fixing the damage or, in some cases buying a new vehicle altogether costs nothing short of a fortune.
Physical loss
A wide variety of brutal and sometimes even fatal injuries can result from collisions – depending on how harsh they were. This can result in the permanent loss of certain bodily functions.
Mental impact
Collisions can be quite traumatizing, traumatizing to the extent that some people might never be able to get out of that state of constant panic. It causes severe mental disorders such as PTSD (post-traumatic stress disorder). Some people develop phobias about driving and have difficulties living normal lives.
The absurd yet avoidable reasons behind traffic collisions
Traffic collisions are a result of several different factors, which include overspeeding, reckless and rash driving, not following basic laws, running red lights, overtaking from the wrong side, tail gaiting, driving under the influence, using electronic devices, vehicle design, and flawed maintenance, old age, inexperienced drivers, whilst driving and so on.
One good practice to do if someone gets involved in a traffic collision is to hire a lawyer to help them with insurance-related stuff and help them with legal matters. Lawyers from https://themvp.com/ aim to provide the best legal services to their clients.
Prevention
Similar to all other worldly problems, collisions too can be avoided by specific steps that include:
- Knowledge regarding how to be a safe driver.
- Staying within the speed limit.
- Avoiding the usage of electronic devices whilst driving.
- Keeping your focus solely on driving.
- Wearing a seat belt.
- Following the law.
- Stopping at red lights and stop signs.
- Make the decision not to drive if you are feeling under the weather.
- Keeping your car well maintained.
- Avoiding reckless and rash driving.
Distracted driving (a discrete killer)
Distracted driving is when drivers lose their focus on driving because their eye catches something of their interest. This is one of the major causes of car crashes in this day and age. A driver’s eyes are diverted from the road by visual distractions.
Visual distractions include things like videos and roadside billboards that can occur both inside and outside of the car. Drivers who are manually distracted tend to take their hands off the wheel.
Activities like holding a pet or reaching for something that dropped to the floorboard are examples of manual diversions. Daydreaming and interacting with other passengers are two cognitive distractions that could lead a driver to lose concentration while driving.
Distractions for a driver
The most common reason why people neglect their focus from being a responsible driver to whatever caught their interest include:
Smartphones – in this modern era, it is quite difficult for people, especially those of this generation, to avoid immediately checking their smartphones as soon as they hear a buzz. It is an addiction that needs to be retrained while driving.
Consuming food – Most people do not understand the extent to how dangerous eating or drinking while driving actually is. Driving requires all attention and both hands, and when we eat, we constantly look at the food we’re consuming to locate it properly.
This takes away our eyes from the traffic, and to make it all too worse, most people use one hand to consume food, whereas there are others who frequently let go of both hands from the wheel to grab their food in the correct manner, which is much more dangerous than it sounds.
Making conversation – This is when people get so invested in the conversation they are having with other passengers that they stop prioritizing driving. This is especially brutally dangerous if the conversation turns into a heated argument.
Reading – in addition to reading texts, this also applies to reading billboards or any reading material for that matter. Driving relies heavily on hand-eye coordination, and that is impossible if your eyes are not fully focused on the road ahead of you.
Drowsiness – it is of utmost importance to make sure before you go to start your car and begin your commute that you are health-wise in good condition and are not feeling drowsiness or vertigo.
Pets – having a pet in the car is also tremendously distracting as it is in their nature to move about a lot. A pet, in general, requires a lot of attention, so if you are traveling solo and do not have anyone in the car who might possibly look after your pet and its demands, then it is important to make sure all necessary steps needed in order to have your pet calm have been taken.
Fiddling with the radio – sometimes, fidgeting with the radio isn’t as innocent as it sounds; as a matter of fact, it can be quite dangerous on a busy highway as it requires a lot of attention and also requires you to take your hand off from the steering wheel. Anything can happen even in that split second.
All that can be lost in a collision
As innocent as getting distracted for a few measly seconds’ sounds, it is quite dangerous and sometimes dangerous to a fatal extent.
It is not uncommon for people to hit their heads violently in a car crash of any sort; this can cause concussions. A concussion undiagnosed can lead to severe complications, including death.
Paralysis is a result of severe physical trauma, which leads to losing sensation and control of certain body parts.
Traumatic brain injury – Traumatic brain injuries occur due to a forceful blow to the head. Traumatic brain injuries can range in severity, with some types requiring immediate emergency medical care, such as subdural hematomas. Traumatic brain injuries can affect memory, logic, personality, and emotion.
Spinal cord damage – Spinal cord damage can be life-altering as it can make a person’s mobility gone for years and, in most cases, forever.
Fractures – are a very common outcome of distracted driving. In some cases, joints get fractured, which causes a lifetime of pain.
Whiplash – is a silent killer; sometimes, it does not get detected for weeks.
Internal bleeding – is a highly dangerous outcome of car collisions as they go undetected for weeks, and sometimes when they are diagnosed, it Is already too late, and complications have already come into existence. They can require elaborate medical procedures and surgeries.
Lacerations – from broken glass are excruciatingly painful.
Mental trauma – causes a lifetime of haunting for most people and leads to difficulties in living a normal life. Post-traumatic stress disorder is a common outcome.
Stop getting distracted whilst driving
For starters, perhaps the arch nemesis of responsible driving would be our very own handy dandy cellphones.
Cell phones contribute majorly to the problem and can avoid many problems that lead to collisions. The amount of attention our smartphones require is so absurd it’s almost unbelievable.
In order to drive safely and let cell phones become the base of our existence, what needs to be done is complete ignorance of cell phones while driving. Put the smartphone on; do not disturb, and do not even bat an eye towards it. This is hard for cellphone addicts, but that’s why the phrase “quitting cold turkey” exists.
Make sure you leave the house in a state that is fit to go for a drive. Your vehicle must be up to mark and, if not, should be given time for maintenance. It is also entirely necessary for drivers to not read billboards and keep their eyes fully focused on the road.
Accidents initiated by distracted drivers put those on the receiving end in quite a vulnerable and agonizing state.
It is extremely unfair for the victims to experience such excruciating feelings at the hands of a person who decides not to prioritize driving and instead chooses to multi-task or divert their focus to something they find more eye-catching or attention grabbing.
Compensation
It is only normal for the driver to be held accountable and to put him responsible for what was lost at the victim’s end. The driver must redeem themselves and the accident by providing for all the damages that were suffered.
Each and every aspect is covered thanks to distracted driving attorneys, such as the distracted driving attorney in Wilmington, NC.
In cases of physical damage to the victim’s body, the driver must pay for all their medical expenses, and furthermore, if a lifelong deformity is a result of the car crash, then the driver must pay for their medical expenses for all their years to follow.
It is no news that upon suffering a car crash, the damage is not just restricted to one or two things; whatever material belonging to the victim was damaged (be it property, car, or an object), the driver is supposed to compensate and pay for all of it.
Adding on to the list of compensations, pain and suffering are also paid for as pain is not just restricted to physical pain. Any emotional and mental trauma caused by the car crash is to be compensated for by the culprit in terms of paying for therapy and so on.
If the victim loses the full functionality of their body and it becomes difficult or impossible for the line of work that they were in, the culprit has to pay for all those lost earnings.
In case of death, the culprit pays a hefty amount of blood money to the victim’s family along with paying for the funeral.
Attorneys and the perks they come with
Distracted driving is a blatant example of the at-fault driver’s irresponsibility. However, proving that the at-fault motorist was inattentive involves having the right evidence, particularly in situations when a cell phone was being used.
A capable distracted driving attorney should be familiar with mobile phone record preservation (including text and data usage).
Additionally, they ought to figure out how to compel the cell phone service providers to deliver the records in a manner that will allow them to present them in court. Distracted driver attorneys will fight for your rights.
Digging up dirt on the culprit
Police report on the incident. Attorneys are required to move swiftly to obtain a copy of the accident report, which can contain information demonstrating that the motorist was inattentive. Witnesses’ testimonies.
Before the collision, witnesses may have noticed the other driver conversing on the phone or reaching inside the car, or indulging in any such actions that could lead to proving that the driver was distracted, for that matter.
Video monitoring Local traffic and private security cameras may have caught the crash or the events just before it. Phone records can be made available. Look up the person’s phone records to show that they were preoccupied. Driver declarations. In rare instances, the motorist may admit to being distracted in a statement to the police or others present at the incident.
Conclusion
In this day and era where everyone has either a car or motorcycle at home, it is highly necessary for people to be more responsible and careful with the way that they operate their vehicles. Risking someone’s life just because you felt like those 5 seconds of looking at your screen are more important is an entirely flawed concept that needs to change.
Change starts from within, so we all as individuals are required to be safer not just for our sake but also for the sake of society which includes not only human life but animal life as well. It is of utmost importance to follow traffic laws religiously and pull over if something important needs to be urgently dealt with.
