According to the Arizona Department of Transportation, there were more than 122,000 automobile crashes in the Grand Canyon State last year, resulting in over 37,000 injuries and nearly 1,200 fatalities. As those statistics should emphasize fairly clearly, car accidents are among the most common causes of accidental injuries here—and like most accidents, these can usually be traced back to a specific reckless or careless act by one or more of the people directly involved.
While any form of negligence that leads to a traffic collision can potentially serve as grounds for a civil claim, there are a few ways in which wrecks happen in this area of the country that play much more frequently into personal injury claims than others. Here are the most common causes of car accidents in Tempe that our auto accident lawyers here at Phillips Law Group have experience taking legal action over on behalf of injured people.
Distracted Driving
In the Information Age, there are more ways for people to distract themselves day-to-day and even minute-to-minute than there ever have been before. Unfortunately, some people let their attention wander while operating multi-ton motor vehicles. In particular, texting behind the wheel is an especially common cause of traffic accidents in Tempe and across Arizona, whether on a smartphone or on something larger like a tablet or laptop computer.
Drunk Driving
In other situations, impairment behind the wheel is not just a matter of looking away from the road for a few seconds but instead a matter of being physically and mentally unable to operate a motor vehicle safely. Intoxication from alcohol, controlled substances, and even certain prescription and over-the-counter medications can reduce someone’s reaction time, motor control, and critical thinking to the point that they pose a serious threat to themselves and everyone else around them from the moment they start their engine to the moment it is turned off again.
Speeding and Other Traffic Offenses
Of course, even attentive and able-bodied drivers can cause severe traffic accidents if they choose to break the traffic laws they were required to demonstrate knowledge of before being granted their driver’s license. Speeding is arguably the most likely traffic offense to result in a wreck, but failure to yield, lane violations, and especially running red lights or stop signs are also common culprits for Tempe car crashes.
Failure to Account for Road Conditions
It is worth mentioning that some auto accidents truly do stem from simple carelessness rather than any knowingly unlawful action—for example, rear-ending someone after hitting an unseen pothole, or not slowing down for the rare occasion when the Phoenix metro area gets some rainfall. Inadvertent or not, someone who injures another person by being careless and not adjusting their behavior for the conditions they are driving through can be held legally liable for that injury just like if they had caused it through a reckless and illegal act.
A Tempe Attorney Can Help Sue Over Common Causes of Car Accidents
Understanding what kinds of scenarios can lead to auto accidents can sometimes help you avoid getting into those kinds of accidents in the first place. However, there are many times when the common causes of car accidents in Tempe listed above can lead to wrecks, which you had no way of avoiding in advance by no fault of your own.
In those situations, seeking help from the dedicated car accident lawyers at Phillips Law Group will be a vital first step towards getting paid fairly for your damages while avoiding legal and procedural roadblocks. Call today to learn more about your legal options by speaking with a member of our legal team.
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