An Experienced Personal Injury Attorney in Nashville Helping Injured Victims Recover Compensation
People often think of rear-end accidents as typically minor accidents that are usually nothing more than fender benders, but nothing could be further from the truth. In fact, rear-end accidents are some of the most dangerous accidents out there. If you've been injured in a rear-end collision that was caused by someone else's negligence, you shouldn't wait to reach out to an experienced Nashville personal injury attorney.
The Statistics
The Insurance Information Institute (III) shares that rear-end collisions accounted for a full 7.2 percent of all traffic fatalities in 2017. Further statistics reported by the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) include:
- From 2012 to 2014, nearly half of all crashes involving two vehicles were rear-end collisions.
- From 2012 to 2014, rear-end collisions led to more than 1,700 fatalities each year.
- A National Highway Traffic Safety Administration study from 2007 reports that 87 percent of rear-end collisions are the result of a rear driver failing to adequately attend to forward traffic (typically caused by distraction).
Additionally, the Transportation Research Institute reports the following:
- Rear-end collisions make up a full quarter of all traffic accidents.
- Neck injuries are the most common injuries sustained in rear-end accidents.
- Rear-end crashes are about five times more likely in rural areas, which suggests that drivers who follow too closely (such as in traffic) play a significant role.
Unfortunately, rear-end accidents happen all too frequently and are all too dangerous.
Distracted Drivers
The data indicates that rear-end collisions are often caused by rear drivers who don't pay enough attention to traffic ahead, which amounts to distracted driving. In order to drive safely, motorists must train their attention on the important task at hand, which includes the road ahead and the traffic all around. A driver who is distracted by anything else is a dangerous driver who is far more likely to cause a rear-end collision.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) classify dangerous driver distractions into three categories that include:
- Visual distractions that take your eyes off of traffic
- Manual distractions that require you to take one or both hands off the wheel of your car
- Cognitive distractions that cause your mind to drift away from your driving
Reading and/or sending a text manages to incorporate all three of these distractions into one blowout distraction that makes rear-end collisions far more likely.
Other Forms of Negligence Can Be the Cause
Distraction is a dangerous form of negligence that can play a significant role in rear-end collisions, but it doesn't stop there. Other forms of driver negligence that can lead to rear-end accidents include:
- Impairment – It's well established that driving while under the influence of alcohol and/or drugs is a phenomenally bad idea. Impairment can cause changes in vision, loss of motor control, and cognitive deficiencies, and that adds up to a recipe for disaster behind the wheel.
- Excess Speed – When motorists speed excessively – whether this means exceeding the speed limit (when conditions are ideal) or driving too fast for the condition the road is currently in (including the effects of inclement weather) – they reduce their ability to control their vehicles, and they increase the risk that any ensuing accident will be deadly – both of which bode poorly for rear-end collisions.
- Exhaustion – Exhaustion can lead to impairments that are very similar to those of driving under the influence of alcohol and drugs, yet many motorists think nothing of hopping behind the wheel when they are drowsy.
- Aggression – When aggressive drivers take to our roads, they greatly increase the risk that life-threatening accidents will ensue. Aggressive drivers take danger to the next level by actively engaging in a series of dangerous driving practices at any given time. Some of these practices, such as tailgating, veering in and out of traffic, and ignoring traffic signs and signals directly relate to dangerous rear-end accidents. Other favorites include aggressively engaging other motorists by honking incessantly and/or using obscene gestures, stopping suddenly for no good reason (which can lead to rear-end accidents that are caused by the lead car), passing illegally, refusing to yield the right-of-way, and many more
Driver negligence leaves everyone on our roads less safe.
The Rear Driver Is Commonly at Fault
Many drivers are under the common misconception that the rear driver is always to blame for rear-end accidents, and while this is often the case, it's not a given. Every motorist is responsible for driving safely regardless of what traffic throws our way. When a forward vehicle has to stop suddenly for any reason, including an accident, a traffic delay, a deer in the road, or for anything else, the motorists to the rear are responsible for looking alive and slowing down appropriately in direct relation to the incident in question. If, however, a forward motorist stops or slows considerably for no reason, stops capriciously (the way an aggressive driver might do), or suddenly throws his or her car into reverse, he or she can be held responsible for any ensuing accident.
Injuries Common to Rear-End Accidents
The impact of rear-end collisions can be immense, which can lead to serious injuries like the following:
- Neck Injuries – As noted, neck injuries are some of the most common injuries caused by rear-end accidents, and they can lead to chronic pain and a dramatic reduction in one's range of motion.
- Broken Bones – A broken bone is an exceptionally painful injury, and the healing process cannot be rushed. A serious break can require surgery, and when a broken bone fails to set correctly, chronic pain and even permanent disability can be the result.
- Traumatic Brain Injuries – Traumatic brain injuries (TBI) can have wide-ranging emotional, cognitive, and physical consequences. When they are serious, they can lead to long-term disabilities.
Turn to an Experienced Nashville Personal Injury Attorney Today
If another driver causes you to be injured in a rear-end accident, the accomplished personal injury attorneys at Labrum Law are committed to skillfully applying their vast experience in support of a resolution that covers your complete losses. To learn more, please don't wait to contact or call us at (615) 338-9500 today.
