Columbia, SC Drivers Should Consider These Rules to Avoid Collisions

By McGowan, Hood, Felder & Phillips | September 29, 2014

Professional drivers know the risks of the road first hand and know how dangerous it can be when motorists make unsafe choices. Just recently, the New York Times reports that two officials from the Federation Internationale de l’Automobile (F.I.A.) were nearly killed in a motor vehicle collision. The officials were on the side of a highway with a flat tire when a truck came by and wasn’t paying careful attention. The officials saw the truck coming and were able to get out of the way moments before the truck plowed into their stopped vehicle.

The F.I.A. is the umbrella association of road car clubs throughout the world and is also the governing body of motor sports. The F.I.A. has compared the problems caused by bad driving to disease epidemics because dangerous drivers cause so many lost lives each year. Worldwide, 1.3 million people die and 50 million people get hurt each year in motor vehicle collisions. By 2020, annual traffic fatalities worldwide are expected to reach as high as two million people killed every single year. A personal injury lawyer knows that many of these deaths could be prevented if every motorist made a strong commitment to road safety.

F.I.A. Basic Rules for Road Safety

The F.I.A. has developed the 10 Golden Rules of Road Safety, which they encourage drivers to pledge to follow. These rules include the following:

  • Drivers should be buckled up, and make sure passengers are buckled up, at all times.
  • Drivers must respect the rules of the road in order to avoid harming others by causing a collision.
  • Drivers should check their tires regularly. Inadequate tire pressure or tire treads that are too worn can lead to a deadly collision.
  • Drivers should refrain from consuming alcohol and then driving. According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHSTA), drunk driving alone results in 10,000 annual traffic deaths in the United States. In South Carolina, Mothers Against Drunk Driving reports that 358 people were killed in motor vehicle accidents in 2012 that involved motorists who were impaired by alcohol while driving.
  • Drivers should not get behind the wheel when they are distracted. Driver distraction caused 3,328 fatalities in the United States in 2012 according to distraction.gov.
  • Drivers should not drive when they are fatigued. A drowsy driver can present the same level of hazard on the road as someone who has consumed more than the legal limit of alcohol.
  • A helmet should be worn when riding a motorcycle (or when riding a bicycle).
  • Drivers should be courteous and respectful of other motorists on the road. Collisions can occur if drivers fail to yield the right-of-way, if they cut off other motorists or if they drive aggressively and give in to road rage.

If drivers made a commitment to follow these simple rules, hopefully they could stay safe. Lives could also be saved as fewer innocent motorists, pedestrians and bicycle riders would be killed each year by negligent motorists.

Columbia, SC accident victims should contact attorney Johnny Felder of McGowan, Hood, Felder & Phillips, LLC at 803-327-7800 or visit https://www.mcgowanhood.com for a free case consultation.

Posted in Car Accidents