#1. Distracted Driving – You’re sitting behind someone at a red light. The light turns green, and the car ahead of you doesn’t move. You notice the driver has their head down looking at their phone. That driver is at a stand still and didn’t notice what happened. Now, imagine the same person going 55 miles per hour on the highway, looking down at their phone while texting a friend, traffic comes to a complete stop and they rear end someone at full speed totaling both cars.

Was the text really that important?

A recent study revealed that 52% of all traffic collisions involved some form of distracted driving. Texting is the most troubling distraction as it takes your focus off driving for seconds. When you’re traveling at 55 miles per hour, taking your eyes off the road for 5 seconds is the same as driving the length of an entire football field with your eyes closed.

In 2015 alone, 3,477 people were killed, and 391,000 were injured in motor vehicle crashes involving distracted drivers.  There is no text or call important enough to put yourself and others at risk. If you must call or text from the car, pull over and park. Be smart.

#2. Speeding – You’re driving in the fast lane when out of nowhere a reckless driver is tailgating you, flashing their headlights as if they were on the Autobahn in Germany.  You look over to switch lanes and notice a car in the next lane blocking you in. You have no choice but to continue in the fast lane until you can safely switch lanes. In the mean time you notice the person that was tailgating you has swerved over 2 lanes to the slow lane.  In a split second, they move from the slow lane all the way over to the fast lane nearly hitting the front of the vehicle next to you. All because they did not have the patience to wait until it was safe for you to move over and let them pass.  What was the point? What if their car hit a pot hole in the highway or some other debris they didn’t notice?

Speeding effects all of us. In 2014 alone, motorists who were speeding were responsible for the deaths of 9,262 people.  We’ve all had times when we are running late for some life event. However, speed limits are posted to help protect you and all the other drivers on the road with you.

When the roads are wet or icy, covered in fog, the sun is glaring in your eyes, or construction work is going on, it’s always a good idea to moderate the vehicle speed to match the conditions you’re currently encountering. If that means operating your car at a speed slightly below the posted limit, then so be it. Better to be safe than sorry.

#3. Drunk Driving – Driving under the influence of drugs or alcohol is a recipe for disaster. When a person is under the influence, their reaction time is slowed and ability to focus is impaired effecting all other motorists sharing the road with them.

One person dies every 53 minutes in the U.S. due to a drunk driver. That’s 28 people a day! The cost of impaired driving? $52 billion a year.

If you’re going to drink, please don’t drive. Consider using a designated driver, a cab, or a ride sharing service.

If you were injured by a driver who was distracted, speeding, or impaired…make the right call… 844-CAR ACCIDENT (1-844-227-2224).