AAA Study Shows that Drivers Don’t Fear or Understand the Greatest Accident Risk

As a driver, you know to be alert behind the wheel and how to respond to the signals of other motorists. However, drivers tend to be their own worst enemy, responsible for more than 50 percent of all fatal crashes. A AAA study, with findings recently released, shows that most drivers do not realize or even understand this risk.
After examining data on fatal car crashes, AAA found that drivers are more concerned about getting hit by another motorist than they crashing, themselves. Yet, a large percentage of fatal crashes are actually solo endeavors. This lack of awareness contributes to drivers worrying about how others behave on the road and focusing less on their own actions. For instance, while 55 percent of all traffic deaths involve a single vehicle:

• 96 percent of drivers think about getting hit by a motorist going through a red light.
• 86 percent are more watchful of distracted drivers.

These numbers vary by location. 62.9 percent of traffic deaths in Virginia involved a single vehicle. In neighboring Maryland, 53.6 percent of all fatal crashes involved a solo motorist. Solo crashes in our nation’s capital made up almost 74 percent of the total number.
Solo crashes can be attributed to a variety of factors, including:

• Driving drunk or on drugs.
• Being distracted, inattentive or drowsy behind the wheel.
• Poor weather causing a vehicle to spin out of control.
• Over-correction to avoid accidents.
• Drivers going off the road, including hitting a guardrail.
• Rolling or turning over the vehicle.
• Hitting pedestrians and cyclists.
• Hitting stationary objects, including trees and telephone poles.
• Striking or swerving away from an animal.
• Crossing over a center or outside line.

Unfortunately, traffic collisions do happen – even to the safest drivers. It is essential to be prepared with adequate insurance coverage. To assess the scope of your auto policy, give us a call at 203.439.2815.