Improving driving safety

Many California motorists are faced with the challenges of long commutes. In fact, long commuting distances are among the major risk factors for serious car accidents. According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, more than 3 trillion miles were driven in automobiles in the United States during 2013. During this period, there were nearly 33,000 deaths related to auto accidents, more than one death per 100 million miles traveled by the nation's motorists.

While shortening one's commute might not remove all auto accident risks, this could decrease one's time on the road, which reduces the potential for being involved in a wreck. A 2-mile reduction in one's round-trip commute equals a savings of 500 vehicle miles driven per year. According to NHTSA's statistics, this would reduce one's potential for a fatality incident significantly and could decrease the number of deaths on the nation's roads by nearly 550 over the course of the year if implemented across the board by all U.S. motorists.

Because a reduction in driving is not necessarily realistic for many motorists, technology offers another avenue for reducing the risk of fatality accidents. Seat belts were important in reducing driving-related deaths in the 1960s, and the NHTSA estimated that technology safety features may have saved more than 27,000 lives in 2012 alone. The cost for this technology is estimated at approximately $1,000 per vehicle, and the savings in lost lives and damages are significant. Modern technologies to consider in coming years for achieving even more improvement in reducing fatalities on the road may include self-driving cars and collision warning systems.

A person who has been seriously injured in a car accident might wonder whether a personal injury lawsuit against the motorist who caused it is appropriate. A lawyer might help in reviewing accident reports and other available evidence to determine whether the other driver's actions or constituted negligence.