Over 90% of the car accidents in southern Maryland are caused by driver error, usually operator impairment and/or aggressive driving. The high percentage of driver error-caused accidents invokes simple “you break it, you buy it” responsibility. If Laura drops a coffee mug at a china shop, she must compensate the owner (replace the mug). Likewise, if Laura causes a car accident, she must compensate the victim.

In a perfect world, tortfeasors (negligent drivers) would voluntarily compensate victims without the need for further action. But we do not live in a perfect world. Therefore, a Charles County personal injury lawyer at the Law Office of Robert R. Castro must get involved. This involvement is ultimately a very good thing for car crash victims. The average attorney-negotiated settlement is about five times higher than the average non-attorney-negotiated accident settlement.

Aggressive Driving

Usually, aggressive driving is basically careless driving. Many drivers do not pay too much attention to their gauges, such as the speedometer. Excessive speed may be the most common and most dangerous form of aggressive driving. A high velocity increases the risk of a crash and the force in a collision.

A vehicle, regardless of its speed, does not stop on a dime. Stopping is a process. This process begins when a driver sees a hazard ahead. Then, drivers must move their feet onto the brake pedals. Finally, they must safely stop their vehicles.

This process often requires less than a second (stopping distance). But during that process, vehicles traveling at 30mph move six car lengths. At 60mph, stopping distance multiplies to eighteen car lengths. In other words, at a high speed, a car crash is almost inevitable in these situations.

Speed also multiplies the force in a collision between two objects, according to Newton’s Second Law of Motion. Essentially, speed transforms a non-injury fender-bender into a serious or catastrophic (life-threatening) injury crash. Speed also transforms loose objects in the passenger area, such as books or cellphones, into high-speed missiles.

Significantly, a personal injury lawyer in Charles County, MD, can obtain compensation in a speed-related wreck even if the tortfeasor was not speeding above the posted speed limit. This compensation usually includes money for economic losses, such as medical bills, and noneconomic losses, such as pain and suffering.

Other common kinds of aggressive driving include turning unsafely, failing to stop at a red light, and following too closely (tailgating).

Operator Impairment

Usually, operator impairment is selfish driving. These tortfeasors arguably know they should not get behind the wheel. But they choose to drive anyway, and intentionally put other people at risk. Common kinds of operator impairment include:

• Alcohol/Drugs: A combination of lax traffic enforcement and higher stress levels caused more people to drive under the influence of alcohol and/or drugs. This bad habit, like so many others, has proven easy to form and hard to break.
• Fatigue: Drowsiness has roughly the same effect on the brain and body as alcohol or another substance. Driving after eighteen consecutive awake hours (e.g. a long day at the office) is like driving with a .05 BAC level.
• Medical Condition: Moderate medical conditions, like the flu, impair driving ability with symptoms like coughing, sneezing, and watery eyes. Serious medical conditions, like heart disease or diabetes, could cause a sudden loss of consciousness behind the wheel.

The “people at risk” include not only the occupants of other vehicles, but also pedestrians on the road and passengers in a tortfeasor’s vehicle. Usually, compensation is available for all these victims.

Contact a Dedicated Calvert County Lawyer

Injury victims are entitled to substantial compensation. For a confidential consultation with an experienced car accident lawyer in Waldorf, MD, contact the Law Office of Robert R. Castro, 2670 Crain Highway #411, Waldorf, MD 20601. You can also call us at (301) 870-1200 or go online.