If you are a passenger in a car, you are at the mercy of the driver and depend upon him or her to make safe driving choices. Unfortunately, many passengers aren’t happy with the way that their friends or loved ones drive, and many drivers are making choices that put passengers at serious risk of injury.
A recent Insure.com survey involved asking passengers who they found to be the most annoying driver and what behaviors the passengers found to be the most annoying. The results revealed that the things most passengers complain about were not mere annoyances, but instead were actions that significantly increase the risk of a crash. Our Boston car accident lawyers know that passengers have a right to take legal action if they are in a vehicle driven by a friend and that friend causes a crash and resulting injuries. However, it is far better to avoid a crash in the first place, and passengers should never hesitate to speak up if they find themselves in a car with someone who has made a high-risk choice.
Passengers Have Complaints About “Annoying” Drivers
According to the Insure.com survey, 36 percent of responding passengers indicated that they found their spouse to be the most annoying driver they knew. Twenty-two percent of survey respondents said that their friends were the ones who bothered them the most behind the wheel. Other respondents had issues with the way their parents drive, with 16 percent saying their mother was the most annoying driver and nine percent saying that they were most annoyed by their father.
Unfortunately, many of the behaviors that the survey respondents described as annoying were dangerous behaviors such as:
- Tailgating or following too closely behind the lead vehicle.
- Speeding.
- Changing the radio stations/ playing with the radio.
- Talking on a cell phone or texting.
- Looking at passengers and not paying careful attention to the road.
- Cutting off other drivers
All of these behaviors are cited as top reasons for auto accidents to occur. For example, distracted driving (like talking on a cell phone, talking to passengers or playing with the radio) caused an estimated 3,328 deaths in 2012 and another 421,000 injuries. Among teen drivers and young people under age 20, a total of 11 percent of all deadly crashes involved a driver who was distracted. Speeding, on the other hand, played a role in about 1/3 of all deadly car accidents according to the NHTSA.
Passengers who are in the car with someone who is doing one of these dangerous things should not hesitate to politely speak up and let the driver know about the chance he is taking. Drivers are responsible for the safety of their passengers, and a passenger has a right to expect that the driver will obey the law and not take unnecessary and dangerous risks. If you find yourself in the car with a driver who won’t listen and who won’t stop driving in a dangerous way, then it is best to try to avoid this situation in the future by offering to drive yourself whenever possible.
If you lost a loved one in an accident, contact Jeffrey S. Glassman for a free and confidential appointment to discuss your rights. Call (617) 777-7777
More Blog Entries:
Early Dark Increases Risks of Traffic Collisions in Massachusetts, Boston Car Accident Lawyer Blog, November 9, 2013