Motorists throughout Fairfield County should obey driving safety rules and should make every effort to prevent car accidents from occurring. Following best practices for safety has become more important than ever as a result of an eight percent rise in car accident deaths from 2014 to 2015. This was the single biggest increase in fatalities in car accidents in a half-century. The rise in deaths was caused, in large part, by falling gas prices prompting more driving. Since gas prices have continued to fall in 2016, there is a big risk on the roads this year.
Drivers can do their part to prevent car accidents in Fairfield County, even with a higher number of people on the roads. However, motorists all-too-often make decisions which increase the chances of accidents happening. One recent study from AAA Foundation for Traffic Safety, for example, revealed a full 87 percent of people admitted to engaging in dangerous driving behaviors over the course of the 30 days before taking the survey.
Drivers in Fairfield County are Engaging in High Risk Behaviors
The AAA study asked drivers about their behaviors behind the wheel over the course of the prior 30 days. The drivers were asked about things like impaired driving, using a cell phone while operating a vehicle, otherwise driving while distracted, running a red light, drowsy driving, speeding, and failing to wear a seat belt while in the car as a driver of a passenger.
In total, 87 percent of the responding motorists admitted they'd done at least one of the dangerous behaviors. Some of the high-risk activities were much more likely than others. For example, 70 percent of motorists said they'd used their phone while driving and 48 percent said they had exceeded the speed limit on a highway by 15 miles per hour or more. By contrast, only 13 percent of drivers admitted they had been behind the wheel while they were at or over the legal limit for blood alcohol concentration. This is still a significant number of motorists driving impaired, especially in light of the serious dangers of drunk driving and in light of the fact drunk driving is a crime.
Most of the drivers who admitted to engaging in these dangerous behaviors were aware of the fact they were taking risks. In total, for example, 80 percent of drivers said distracted driving was a bigger safety concern than it was three years ago. This means drivers are worried about cell phone use, and yet using their cell phones.
Unfortunately, many motorists often discount the risks of their own dangerous behaviors, even as they recognize the dangers when others on the road do the same things. As motorists continue to take risks and nothing bad happens, this creates the false impression they won't be harmed by doing dangerous activities behind the wheel.
Any motorist who is engaging in high risk behaviors faces a significantly increased collision risk at any time. Motorists need to be aware of the dangers and of the rising car accident rates so they can take extra precautions to stay safe.