Our New Jersey personal injury lawyers advocate for their clients every day who have been injured in motor vehicle accidents because of the negligence of other drivers. Through their work, New Jersey personal injury attorneys are very familiar with both the most common accident causes as well as what people can do to minimize their risks of being involved in one. If you understand what causes accidents, you are less likely to be injured in an accident.
New Jersey Personal Injury Lawyers Rear-End Collisions
According to statistics from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, or NHTSA, about 29 percent of motor vehicle accidents are rear-end collisions. These accidents happen when a car hits the vehicle in front of it. In 2007, NHTSA conducted a study of rear-end accidents, finding that 64 percent of the drivers who caused them looked away from the road prior to having the accident. Examples of diverted attention include such things as fumbling with the knobs on the stereo, texting or talking on a cell phone or anything else that made the driver look away from the road ahead of them. You can avoid causing a rear-end accident by not using your cell phone, always paying attention to the cars around you and ahead of you and not taking your eyes away from the road.
Collisions with Parked Vehicles
Many accidents happen between moving vehicles and parked cars. An easy way to avoid such accidents is to pay attention to the road while you drive and your surroundings. When reversing, you should also pay attention to more than just the reversing cameras on your car or on your rearview mirrors. Other parked-vehicle collisions happen when people misjudge the size of a parking space and the size of their own vehicle. Even if your vehicle does fit in a space, don’t park so close to the vehicle in front of you that they don’t have room to reverse, or they might hit your car when they try to get out of their parking space.
Hydroplaning
Your tires have tread on them in order to help channel away water on the road while you drive. This is to help your tires and car remain in contact with the surface of the road. If a vehicle is driving too fast on wet pavement, the tires may not be able to channel away the water fast enough to keep up with the vehicle’s speed. This can cause a layer of water between your tires and the road’s surface, which can then cause you to lose control of your vehicle. When people hydroplane, they may try to turn their steering wheel, but doing so will have little effect. They may also slam on their brakes, but that can potentially make the hydroplaning even worse. You can help to prevent yourself from hydroplaning by driving slower in wet weather, including after a storm is finished. Making certain you replace your tires when the tread is worn is also important. In the event you do hydroplane, you should allow your vehicle to slow without slamming on your brakes. Instead, apply light pressure while steadily slowing your car.
Colliding with Animals
If you collide with a large animal, such as a moose or a deer, you may be seriously injured and your car may be severely damaged. You can help lessen the chance of having such an accident by paying extra attention in areas that are marked with animal crossing signs. At night in rural areas, you should always drive with your high-beam headlights on. Obey the posted speed limit so you are better able to slow if an animal runs out on the road in front of your car.
Side-Impact Collisions
Data from the Insurance Institute for Safety from 2009 demonstrated that 27 percent of all passenger fatalities in car accidents in the U.S. were caused by side-impact collisions. One type of side-impact crash is a T-bone accident, which occurs when one vehicle doesn’t stop and collides with another car crossing their path. Side-impact collisions are especially catastrophic because the walls of a vehicle are not as able to absorb the impact of a collision. You can minimize your risk of being involved in a side-impact crash by always paying attention when you approach intersections, taking care to look both ways even if you have the right-of-way. Choosing a car that comes equipped with side head-protecting airbags can help to prevent fatalities from happening in the event another driver crashes into the side of your car. Always come to a complete stop when you arrive at a stop sign or a red light. Make sure you drive the speed limit so that you do not accidentally run either of them. If you are involved in an injury accident that wasn’t your fault, you should first seek medical attention as soon as possible. After that, contacting New Jersey personal injury attorneys about your case may help you to recover more damages than you might be offered from the insurance company on your own. A personal injury attorney should have experience in negotiating with insurance companies, and may be better able to appropriately value your case. Getting a good analysis of the value of your case is important so that you are better able to evaluate whether or not an offered settlement is a fair one. An attorney may also be able to help if the other driver’s insurance company attempts to dispute the liability of their insured. If necessary, an attorney may litigate for you through court to try to secure the damages to which you are entitled.
Contact New Jersey Personal Injury Lawyers
If you have been injured in an accident, you can contact the New Jersey personal injury lawyers at the Law Offices of Neal S. Axe LLC by calling (866) 414-3380.
