New York drivers may be more likely to be involved in a fatal motor vehicle accident since they are on the rise. In 2015, fatalities from traffic accidents nationwide increased 8 percent after years of being on the decline. In 2016, they topped 40,000.
There are several common reasons for traffic accidents. Around 6 percent of pedestrian deaths, about one-fifth of who are children, happen because of a driver using a rolling stop to turn right on red. Because of the multitasking involved in this maneuver, drivers often fail to see pedestrians. Like a rolling stop, tailgating does not save much time but can result in an accident. Up to 30 percent of motor vehicle accidents happen when one car rear-ends another.
Around one-third of crashes are caused by a driver wandering into another lane or off the road, and 12 percent are caused by a driver making a blind maneuver such as turning despite visibility being blocked by a large vehicle. Approximately 10 percent of car accidents happen because a person loses control of the vehicle. Not slowing down for wet roads accounts for 2 percent of these accidents and turning at a high speed or maneuvering aggressively accounts for 5 percent. Drowsy drivers cause more than 20 percent of fatal crashes and more than 5 percent of all accidents.
When passengers, pedestrians, cyclists and other drivers are injured in these types of motor vehicle accidents, the injured people are usually supposed to receive compensation from the negligent motorist. This should come from the insurance company, but the offer is often insufficient. In such an event, the victims might want to have a lawyer’s assistance in filing a lawsuit.