Drivers across the country say they want safer roadways. However most aren’t willing to make the changes to get them. They support government action to get safer roadways, but won’t to abide by the rules themselves. According to a recent study from the AAA Foundation for Traffic Safety, drivers nationwide have the “do as I say, not as I do” attitude, meaning they want other drivers to practice safe driving habits behind the wheel, but they feel exempt.
Until drivers take the first step towards safe roadways and alter their own driving habits to be safer, car accidents in New York City and elsewhere will continue to plague the streets.
Our New York City car accident lawyers and AAA are challenging drivers to take a look at their own driving habits and to make a resolution to drive better in 2012. According to the U.S. Department of Transportation (USDOT), there were more than 32,880 people who were killed in traffic-related accidents in the U.S. in 2009. This may be the lowest record on the books in the last 60 years, but it’s still far from indicating “safe” roadways. Car accidents are in fact preventable accidents. Still, accidents remain as the top killer for people between the ages 4- to 34-years-old.
“Even one death on our roads is unacceptable,” says AAA President and CEO Peter Kissinger.
Someone is killed in a traffic-related accident on our roadways every 16 minutes, says Kissinger. The goal of AAA is to get that number down to zero – but there’s a long way to go for that.
Drinking and Driving: Although more than three fourths of drivers say that drinking alcohol and driving is an inexcusable habit, more than 20 percent say they’ve driven when they thought they’re blood alcohol concentration may have been close to 0.08 percent, making them legally drunk.
Distracted Driving: About 94 percent of drivers who were surveyed by AAA say that distracted driving, or the use of a text messaging device or a cell phone while driving, is a serious and dangerous problem. Despite these views, roughly 35 percent said that they text while driving, while another 70 percent said that they’ve talked on their cell phone behind the wheel in the last month.
Speedy Drivers: Nearly three quarters of surveyed drivers say that it’s far too dangerous to travel more than 15 miles per hour over the speed limit on a freeway. Still, there were more than 50 percent of drivers who said that they’ve done it at least once in the last month.
Red-Light Running: Almost 40 percent of drivers admitted to running through a red traffic light that they thought they could have safely stopped at. Despite these dangerous drivers, nearly 95 percent of people say that no driver should ever pass through a red traffic light.
The car accident attorneys at the Law Offices of Nicholas Rose, PLLC offer free consultations to those who have been injured in a car accident in Manhattan, Queens and throughout the New York City area. Call 1-877-313-7673 to speak with someone about your case and to discuss your rights.
More Blog Entries:
NSC Supports Recommendation to Help Reduce Risks of Distraction-Related Car Accidents in New York, Nation, New York Injury Lawyer Blog, January 17, 2012
Daylight Saving Time Change Increases Risks for Car-Pedestrian Accidents in New York, New York Injury Lawyer Blog, November 18, 2011
