Did you know that Missouri is ranked the 4th most dangerous state in terms of fatal car accidents? We want all of you to drive through 2024 safely, without suffering personal injuries or worse in traffic accidents. That’s why we’ve put together a list of New Year’s resolutions to help drivers in Missouri kick unsafe driving habits. Let’s dive (or should we say “drive?”) in, shall we?

Speeding

Between 2020 and 2021 alone, 43% of the fatal car crashes in Missouri were caused by speeding. Driving over the speed limit is dangerous enough on its own, without the ice and slush of winter road conditions. According to the National Safety Council (NSC), speeding was caused 18% of fatal car accidents on dry roads, 22% on wet roads, 32% on snowy or slushy roads, 33% of roads with frost or ice, 38% on roads with moving or standing water, and 43% on roads with mud, gravel, or dirt.

Resolve to always follow the speed limit, and reduce your speed in 2024 when…

  • Visibility is low.
  • Precipitation is present.
  • Road conditions are wet, icy, or poor in general.

Distracted Driving

In 2020 alone, 324,652 people suffered severe personal injuries in distracted driving car wrecks. What most drivers don’t realize is that cell phone use isn’t the only form of distracted driving, and texting isn’t the only distraction that’s dangerous behind the wheel. There are three different kinds of distracted driving.

  • Visual Distractions are distractions that take your eyes off of the road, such as checking your teeth in the rearview mirror, looking at the GPS, or facing the person in the passenger seat.
  • Manual Distractions involve taking one or both hands off of the steering wheel to do things like eating or drinking, changing the music, or reaching to grab something that fell.
  • Cognitive Distractions take your mind off of the task at hand. For example, driving while emotionally distressed, drowsy, or while talking on the phone are all cognitive distractions.

In 2024, make it a point to keep your eyes on the road, hands on the wheel, and mind on driving!

Road Rage & Aggressive Driving

Road rage often leads to aggressive driving which, not shockingly, leads to car crashes and personal injuries. In fact, within only a seven year period, there were over 12,000 personal injuries and 200 murders reported that have been linked to road rage and aggressive driving. To make matters worse, there has been a disturbing 500% increase in road rage car accidents in the last ten years.

Make a resolution for 2024 to avoid these common aggressive driving habits caused by road rage.

  • Cutting off other drivers.
  • Flashing your high beams.
  • Purposely slowing down to “teach” another driver to stop tailgating. 
  • Tailgating.
  • Throwing objects out of the car window.

Drunk Driving

Unfortunately, despite knowing the dangers of intoxicated driving, someone dies in a drunk driving accident every 39 minutes on average according to the NHTSA. There were 2,506 drunk driving fatalities just in Missouri from 2009-2018. To boot, intoxicated driving causes countless personal injuries annually. 

What many drivers don’t realize is that driving while “buzzed” is still intoxicated driving, and it’s still extremely dangerous. If you plan on going out and drinking, either arrange a sober ride or stay put for the night! It isn’t worth the risk to get behind the wheel.

If You Get Hurt in an Accident…

If you get hurt in a car accident and another driver is at fault, it’s important to have a personal injury attorney in your corner to help you attain the compensation you deserve. Personal injuries from car accidents are expensive, and you shouldn’t be the one to pay for it if you were not at fault for the crash. Your personal injury lawyer can help you gather the evidence needed to prove your personal injury claim, handle communications with your insurer, negotiate a settlement that covers all of your personal injury related expenses, and guide you through the legal process.

If you’ve suffered a personal injury, contact The S.E. Farris Law Firm as soon as possible to schedule your no-cost initial consultation. During your legal consultation, you will receive free legal advice from an experienced St. Louis car accident lawyer near you – the same lawyer who will be with you through every step of the legal process, fighting for the compensation you deserve.