There are an estimated 32,166 fatal motor vehicle crashes in the United States in 2015. Around the world, there are 2 million motor vehicle deaths each year. And globally, more than 50% of all road traffic deaths occur among young adults ages 15-44. Many of these can be seen as true “accidents.” But for others, negligence plays a role.

Every year, fatal motor vehicle accidents in the United States have three leading causes: drunk driving, distracted driving, and aggressive driving. Each results in a disproportionate amount of vehicle accident deaths in the United States, and the statistics surrounding them are staggering.

Every day thousands of people drive drunk in the United States but only a few hundred are arrested. In 2015, nearly 1.1 million drivers were arrested for driving under the influence of alcohol or narcotics. Driving While Impaired or Driving Under the Influence amount to the same issue: a person driving after ingesting a substance, to the point…

Where it Impacts Their Ability to Drive

Driving while impaired or driving while intoxicated is a huge issue in today’s time, as it has been in decades past. An organization called Mothers Against Drunk Driving was formed either the 1970s or the 1980s to combat this issue to and to promote awareness of the issue of drunk driving and how ti could be prevented.

For someone driving while intoxicated or driving under the influence, the issue is the ability to accurately look at the road and see everything around it (being aware). There is lack of motor control, there is a lack of cognizance surrounding driving, there is a lack of awareness, and all these problems, lead to an unsafe driver.

Driving while intoxicated can lead to many dangerous situations for a driver and for anyone around that driver, who is driving on the street or possibly walking alongside the road. The driver will have lack of awareness and the ability to respond quickly to stimulus, meaning if something sudden were to happen, the driver would slowly react.

Another issue in today’s time, especially in the past 15 years, has been distracted driving. Distracted driving is defined by three types: visual impairment, tactile impairment, and general impairment. They are defined according to how the driver is impaired.

The visually impaired driver is one who has their eyes off of the road. The visually impaired driver may be fiddling with the radio but likely they’re on their cell phone. The statistic that is the most difficult to accept is that in the time it takes to send a text message, a car will cross the length of five football fields.

The tactile impaired driver is one who has taken their hands off the road. This can mean pushing away the dog on their lap or making sure the cat doesn’t jump up on the dash, or again, texting in a way that takes one or both hands off the wheel. At high speeds, when the amount of distance crossed is great, this is a potentially deadly issue.

The generally impaired driver is a driver who just takes their attention off the road. This can be done through numerous means, including looking at passing scenery, searching for a location to a building, looking at a cellphone, being distracted by a book on tape, and many more.

There are aggressive drivers as well. These drivers are those that speed, weave in an out of lanes quickly, or tailgate behind other drivers. The aggressive drivers are the third leading cause of fatal car accidents and have led to many deaths. This has sometimes been called “road rage.”

With cases of negligence involving car accidents, it is possible for the victims to file a lawsuit, either a wrongful death lawsuit or a personal injury lawsuit. Car accidents result in over 50% of personal injury lawsuits. And those who have suffered from personal injuries that result in a lawsuit may not even have to testify in court:

Approximately 95%-96% of personal injury cases are settled pretrial

There are other examples of personal injury. Construction accidents are one of them. Construction accidents can result in injury in numerous ways. Construction accidents can result in inability to work. Construction accidents and workplace injuries require a personal injury attorney.