Did you know that most car accidents occur ten miles from the home? Did you also know that most often when people have short distances to drive they become more lackadaisical about the simple rules including:
- Wearing a seatbelt
- Checking the mirrors
- Looking both ways before entering traffic at an intersection
- Coming to a complete stop at stop signs
- Obeying the speed limit
Every time you step into a vehicle you should be alert and vigilant toward obeying the simple rules put in place. But that is simply not the case for the majority of drivers. Let’s put this into perspective. Have you ever been on a roller coaster? I’m assuming yes, it’s 2018 and if you haven’t had that opportunity you most likely cannot even read this article because you are an infant.
Would you ever enter a roller coaster without making sure your seatbelt was securely fastened? Would you ever think to yourself, “it’s ok that my seatbelt is off, it’s only a 2 minute ride.” Of course not! You know the end result of that terrible decision would most likely end in severe injuries, if not death. Why do we not treat our vehicles with this same manor? We are traveling at high speeds. We are also traveling at those high speeds surrounded by other people traveling at high speeds. If you think harder about two lane traffic, you’ll realize that the only thing keeping your car traveling at 60 mph from a head on collision with an oncoming car also traveling at 60 mph is just a thin painted yellow line! Once that sets in, you’ll never be on autopilot when getting behind the wheel.
Now imagine yourself driving toward an oncoming semi truck on the freeway. The amount of force coming from the weight of that vehicle let alone the cargo it is carrying would squash your vehicle like a bug. Without even thinking before you get on the road you automatically trust that every driver is doing their due diligence to pay attention to the speed limit, obey traffic laws, not text while driving or even drive while drowsy. Little do we know how many people actually treat these laws as optional and in some cases, an inconvenience.
If you ever survive a truck accident in, you need all the help you can get to recover loss of damages from a truck accident attorney in California. With their expertise you will gain a significant advantage over the negligent party. But we all still need to do our part. We are all equally responsible for making sure our vehicle is operated with care.