Abels & Annes, P.C. Personal Injury Blog

What protects you from the actions of other motorists on the roads of Phoenix? While there are a slew of laws that are designed to promote public safety and to hold those who act negligently responsible for their conduct, these laws fail to prevent more than 100,000 car accidents that happen in Arizona every year. In a large number of these collisions, one or more people involved sustains injuries or may even lose their lives due to the actions of someone else. In short, though there are laws in place, if another driver fails to act responsibly, there may be little to prevent you from becoming a victim. Annually, the Arizona Department of Transportation compiles statistics about the car accidents that take place on the roads of the state. Based on these records, there were 12,324 hit-and-run car accidents in 2014 of which 2,424 caused injuries and 45 proved to be fatal. The number of people injured in hit-and-run accidents was reported as 3,163 but this number likely is low as it does not account for any injuries that may be incurred by a fleeing driver or the passengers in that driver’s vehicle.

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration reported that, on average, two people died every day in the United States in 2011 in a collision that involved a driver running a red light. Of those that lost their lives, roughly half of the victims were someone other than the person who ran the red light and an additional 118,000 people were injured but survived in red light crashes in 2011 alone. Between 2007 and 2011, AAA and Cambridge Schematics report that the economic toll of costs lost in red light accidents was $378 million. The numbers are staggering. The injuries, loss of life, and economic cost of red light collisions in the country should not be ignored. These are some arguments that numerous communities have used in explaining their decisions to implement red light cameras over recent years and that others have used to enact new legislation. While national trends continue to show an annual decrease in the deaths caused by these car accidents, the fallout is still far too significant for motorists to feel safe when they are at or near an intersection.

Modern vehicles have thousands of safety features built into them with the intention of decreasing the likelihood of collisions while increasing the safety of those involved if a crash does happen. Most of these features come standard on cars these days so that drivers never need to think about them – they are there and they work when needed. For many, gone are the days when a driver had to pump the brakes because anti-lock brakes now take that role. No longer are most drivers forced to use a little muscle to turn the wheel because power steering handles even the slightest movement with ease. While a number of safety features don’t require maintenance or even attention by the driver, others do and it can be crucial to the overall operation of the vehicle that these are maintained properly. One of the most overlooked safety features on any vehicle is that car’s tires. Tires impact your vehicle’s ability to accelerate, maintain speed, brake, and turn which means that tires play a role in every maneuver your car will make.

Campaigns warning of the dangers of drinking and driving have been around for decades and many major cities have taken substantial steps to curb this activity since the 1970s. Despite public awareness of increased enforcement efforts, more than 250 people are killed in a typical year in Arizona in car accidents involving a drunk driver. In addition to those victims that lose their lives, thousands survive but are injured and many of those are forced to undergo medical treatments from weeks to years after the crash ends. The fallout from these accidents typically involves medical expenses as well as inflicting pain and suffering on a victim, preventing that victim from earning wages because he or she is unable to work for a time, and potentially leading to permanent injuries that may never resolve. Some accidents affect a victim’s ability to lead a normal life or to care for his or her family. The unique facts surrounding any collision in the Phoenix area can determine what relief may be available for those who are injured or for those left behind if a loved one is killed and speaking with a personal injury attorney can help those individuals realize their options for financial compensation.

Phoenix is unique when compared to many other large American cities because it is relatively new and therefore has a more modern design. From its wide streets to its buildings with ample parking, many areas in the Valley of the Sun were planned with a large population in mind and as a result, drivers who choose to navigate the area by car can move with relative ease. Despite these designs and the ability to travel by car to almost all places, car accidents continue to happen in Phoenix every day and many of them result in injuries ranging from the minor to the critical. Some collisions even cause death to drivers, passengers, or pedestrians involved. While many happen on local roads, some of these accidents happen in parking lots themselves and may involve a mix of an automobile and a pedestrian – a dangerous combination and one that almost always results in injuries.

When you get in a car to go for a ride, are you the driver? The passenger? Does it depend on the setting? If you are like the typical adult in the Phoenix area, chances are that you drive at times and that you are a passenger in other moments. But how does that change affect your view of your safety? It may sound like an unusual question but when asked, many adults acknowledge the safety concerns that are associated with driving but tend to ignore their personal safety when they are a passenger. Passengers cannot control the actions of the driver of their vehicle or the drivers of other cars so it may seem normal that they do not consider safety when they enter a car. But passengers can be injured in car accidents to the same extent that drivers can be so passenger safety should be a primary concern for everyone. Drivers should act in a careful and cautious manner to protect those in their vehicles and passengers should be aware of who is operating their vehicle and what skills that person has as a driver.

Every year, many national organizations and some local to the Phoenix area attempt to forecast the travel that is anticipated during busy times like holiday weekends. These estimates can help motorists plan their routes or even adjust their thoughts on a weekend trip depending on the number of drivers expected on the roads and the peak hours in which those drivers will operate. This year, AAA anticipates 37.2 million Americans will travel during the Memorial Day weekend and that many of those will be doing so by road. Increased traffic by itself can be a threat to safety as road congestion tends to lead to car accidents. As those who live in the Phoenix area know, highways and interstates in the Valley can turn to stop-and-go with little or no warning and when traffic backs up, it can take hours to clear again. All of this can happen with a normal amount of drivers on the road and conditions only worsen as a heavy dose of holiday traffic joins the masses. But while traffic is somewhat of a concern, the greatest concern to many over Memorial Day weekend will be the threat posed by drunk drivers. Drunk driving accidents are responsible for approximately one out of every three traffic-related deaths in America each year and more than 250 people in Arizona are killed by drunk drivers annually.

High speed chases initiated by law enforcement officials have been controversial for decades in the Phoenix area and across the country. On one hand, there is the need for police officers to enforce the law and to prevent offenders from escaping and further threatening the safety of others. On the other hand, high speed chases have proven to have disastrous and often fatal results and, in many cases, those that are injured are bystanders who happen to be in the wrong place at the wrong time. According to PursuitSAFETY, a nonprofit organization dedicated to improving the road conditions for innocent motorists and police officers, one person is killed every day in America due to a police pursuit. Of those that lose their lives, one-third are innocent bystanders and a police officer is killed in a chase every six weeks. On average, one out of every 100 police chases results in a fatality. These numbers are sobering and they do not begin to touch on the non-fatal injuries that may be caused both to suspects and to innocent drivers and passengers when a police chase occurs. Due in part to the threat they pose to others, many police stations have instituted protocols to reduce the number of chases in which they engage and to stop pursuing fleeing vehicles in some high-risk situations.

Car accidents happen in an instant and often occur without warning. One moment a driver is traveling along a road or a highway in Phoenix and the next moment everything has changed because that driver was involved in a crash. Annually, more than 100,000 car accidents happen in the State of Arizona and the vast majority of those occur in highly populated, dense areas like the Valley of the Sun. There are hundreds of unique factors that lead to and contribute to Phoenix car accidents each year with thousands of different possible scenarios resulting. From single car accidents to massive pile-ups, no two accidents are identical and therefore it is important to understand how the laws affect your rights if you have been injured in a collision.

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration reports that 26 percent of Americans ages 16 and older have been injured in a car accident in their lifetime and needed medical help as a result. That means that of those old enough to drive, 1 in 4 has been hurt in a car accident badly enough to seek relief and to incur expenses, like medical bills, related to that crash. In many cases, victims just happen to be in the wrong place at the wrong time when a collision occurs. Nothing but unfortunate luck determines their collision as they do nothing wrong. This is almost always true for a passenger inside a car who does not control the car’s motion and often may be true of some drivers. While nothing can erase the damage done by a collision, the laws in Phoenix and in the State of Arizona recognize that those who do not cause a crash should not be forced to pay for their losses personally; therefore, these victims can seek and often can obtain a financial payment for their damages against a responsible driver or an insurance company. When in doubt, speaking with a Phoenix personal injury attorney can help answer your questions if you have been hurt in an accident.