Being a New Yorker is a special quality: generations have learned to cope without having a driver’s license. Between the subway, taxis and city buses, many people can live their entire lives without ever having to get behind the wheel.
As the city expands and people expand into smaller, more familiar neighborhoods, the need to drive their own vehicle increases. More people are choosing to commute to work so they can enjoy their big city jobs while living in a suburban neighborhood. With so many commuters on the roads, car accidents are likely to happen and it’s just a matter of when and where.
According to the New York State Department of Motor Vehicles, in 2009 there were more than 250,000 accidents that were reported by police officers, and more than 300,000 believed to have occurred in total. Of these, 15,000 pedestrians involved, 5,000 bicycles involved, and 5,000 motorcycles involved. The New York State DMV also reported that more than 8,000 accidents related to alcohol in some respect occurred this year.
With such a large number of car accidents, many people are injured and unable to return to work for a period of time. Being injured in an accident can be one of the most frustrating times in a person’s life, but struggling to make a full recovery is generally your only option.
Whether a city taxi is involved in the accident, a commercial truck or van, or a passenger vehicle, car accidents are an inescapable fact of life. Even in a city so known for its streamlined public transportation system, innocent pedestrians, motorcyclists, cyclists, and other drivers will still be involved in car accidents on a daily basis.
Unfortunately, in a city with so many unlicensed drivers, driver inexperience can play a bigger role than normal in car accidents. Other common causes of car accidents include all forms of driver recklessness, inattention, and carelessness. Such examples would include: reckless driving, speeding, texting while driving, going the wrong way on a one-way street, following closely, and driving while intoxicated.
One of the most common causes of car accidents includes driver distractions. There are three types of driver distractions, which include visual distractions, manual distractions, and cognitive distractions. For example, a visual distraction might include a person turning to talk to their child in the back seat or watching a television screen in the car; visual distractions take your eyes off the road. A manual distraction is simply any kind of distraction that you can take over from the wheel, such as putting on makeup, eating, texting, or even trying to drive without your hands. The third type of distraction, cognitive distraction, is a type of distraction that distracts a person from what they are doing. This can include drinking and driving or falling asleep behind the wheel.
Driver negligence is a serious problem that can wreak havoc on other drivers and passengers who share the road. Whether the driver was reading a map while driving, eating while changing gears, or texting a friend while driving their motor vehicle, all of these types of behaviors can lead to a serious car accident. In almost all car accidents, the negligence of the driver played a major role in the collision, leading to disastrous consequences for those around the negligent driver.
Car accidents remain one of the leading causes of death in the United States, and New York State is no exception. By far the majority of car accidents could have been prevented if the driver had paid more attention and drove safer. Because almost all car accidents are preventable, when drivers cause bodily injury or death to others, they can be held legally and financially liable for any harm they inflict on others.
If you or a loved one was injured in a car accident, or if you lost a loved one in a wrongful death, you may have grounds for a personal injury claim against the legally liable party. It would be unfair to make you bear the expense and a lifetime consequence for someone else’s negligent behavior. A personal injury attorney will be able to assist you in the matter. They can enlist the help of accident reconstruction experts, medical professionals, and witness testimony when building a strong case. They may be able to help you obtain maximum compensation that will cover your medical expenses, any pain and suffering, lost wages, and future loss of wages. Feel free to contact a knowledgeable and trained personal injury attorney today!
