Every driver has an unshakable responsibility to act safely behind the wheel and never endanger other drivers or pedestrians. This is a duty often ignored by negligent drivers, though, as evident with the number of serious car accidents across the country each day.
It is good practice to stay away from negligent drivers to stay out of car accidents. How can you know a bad driver from a good driver without asking them directly? Luckily, there are a number of telltale indicators of poor driving habits that you can spot from a distance. When you see one, it will probably be the right choice to try to distance yourself from that driver.
Warning signs that a driver might be a danger on the road include:
- Damaged vehicle: When someone causes a car accident, they will not be able to pursue compensation from any other party, and the cost to repair their vehicle will largely fall upon themselves. As such, negligent drivers who cause accidents often do not bother making repairs to their car. When you see a noticeably damaged vehicle on the road, you can safely assume it has been dented, cracked, and crunched due to the mistakes of its owner, not others.
- Speeding: There is never a safe or proper time to break the speed limit. Civil engineers and transportation safety agencies spend long hours determining the appropriate speed limit for every given road, based on the street’s design, traffic patterns, typical weather conditions, and more. Someone who speeds automatically puts themselves and those around them in peril. Try to move to a slow lane when possible and let them pass you. If there is a safe location to stop, like a parking lot, you may want to do so, call the police, and report the driver. You might just prevent someone else from getting hurt by that negligent driver.
- Cellphone use: Just as it is never safe to speed, it is also never safe to use a cellphone behind the wheel. Distracted driving is a leading cause of catastrophic injury and wrongful death in the country, with smartphone use being a leading cause of distraction. You may get a chance to spot a smartphone in the hand of another driver, such as when you are traveling in an adjacent lane. At night, the blue-white glow of a cellphone is also quite distinctive. Distance yourself from texting drivers and, if safe to do so, pull off the road and notify the police. Only law enforcement officers can pull over distracted drivers and correct the situation.
- Crowded car: Cellphones are not the only things that can heavily distract a motorist. Many people end up dangerously absentminded due to the passengers in their vehicle. The more people there are in a car, the more likely the driver will try to engage in their conversation, see what one of them is doing, and so forth.
Get in Touch with Our San Jose Car Accident Attorneys
You can be the most defensive driver in the world and still get blindsided by a reckless motorist, resulting in a car accident, damages, and injuries. If you are hurt by a negligent driver, despite your best efforts to stay out of trouble, talk to Habbas & Associates about your legal options to pursue compensation. Our personal injury attorneys can use more than 200 years of collective legal experience to create your claim, deal with insurance companies, and see your case to the end.
Interested in a free consultation? Contact our law firm today!
