Every time you get behind the wheel, there is a chance that something might go wrong as you navigate Colorado roads to travel to your chosen destination. However, you can reasonably expect that every driver with whom you’re sharing the road will adhere to traffic laws and safety regulations. As a licensed driver, you, as well, must stay alert and practice safe driving habits in order to keep your risk for collision as low as possible.
There are four types of impairment that often cause drivers to wreck. If you’re traveling while an impaired driver happens to be nearby, you may be at great risk for serious personal injuries if he or she loses control of steering or veers into your lane. Knowing about these four types of impairment can help you yourself avoid them, but there’s not much you can do about another driver’s choices or actions, which is why it’s important to know where to seek support if you’re involved in a crash.
Many Colorado drivers face distractions at the wheel
When you drive, you know to keep your hands on the wheel and eyes on the road at all times. It’s easy to become distracted while driving, whether changing the station on a car radio, trying to look at directions on a GPS device or even chatting with passengers as you travel. These and other issues immediately create distraction, and driver distraction is often a key factor in motor vehicle collisions.
While you may be able to see when someone is texting while driving, you have no way of knowing if a driver is daydreaming or conducting a business meeting using Bluetooth technology while making his or her way through traffic. If a driver is manually, cognitively or visually distracted, you might be in danger.
Alcohol and drug impairment places drivers at risk
In Colorado, you cannot legally operate a motor vehicle if your blood alcohol content level is .08 percent or higher. Drunk drivers are menaces on the road. If you suffer injury because someone got behind the wheel to drive after consuming alcohol, it’s possible that he or she may wind up facing criminal charges.
When a driver is under the influence of drugs or alcohol and causes a collision that results in fatality or injuries to others, those affected may experience frustration and anger because such accidents are easily preventable.
Fatigued people shouldn’t drive
If you were to survey all the drivers in your vicinity on any given day, you’d no doubt hear numerous people say they were feeling tired, perhaps even exhausted. As you know, staying alert and aware of your surroundings is imperative toward driver safety.
You could be driving along uneventfully one moment and lying in the back of an ambulance the next if a nearby driver falls asleep or is not paying attention because he or she is feeling fatigued. Studies show that fatigue often has similar impairment effects to alcohol on the brain. If you’re sharing the road with a drowsy driver, it’s similar to sharing the road with a drunk driver.
Recovering from a collision that another driver’s negligence caused
Your life can change in an instant if another driver hits you. The first few hours following a motor vehicle collision typically include emergency medical care, police investigations and attempts to contact immediate family members to inform them that there has been a crash. Beyond that, it could take weeks, even months for you to fully recover from your injuries.
Sadly, many injuries have permanent side effects. Post-collision care often causes financial distress, which is why many recovering accident victims file legal claims to seek restitution against those responsible for their injuries.
