Motor vehicle collisions of any type can be scary and disorienting, even if they do not result in serious injuries or significant property damage. Yet many types of car accidents in New Mexico commonly do result in personal injuries that can cause temporary and permanent disabilities, not to mention life-threatening injuries. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) discusses some of the most common causes of collisions, and the ways in which specific types of crashes can lead to particular types of injuries.
Intoxicated Driving
Drunk driving and drugged driving are serious problems in Santa Fe and throughout New Mexico. The NHTSA reports that approximately 28 people are killed every day, on average, in intoxicated driving collisions, which is about one death every 52 minutes. Although drunk driving fatalities are much lower than they used to be, more than 10,000 people still lose their lives each year as a result of intoxicated driving collisions. Thousands more nonfatal accidents result from intoxicated driving every year. When a driver is intoxicated, serious collisions like head-on collisions and high-speed crashes can happen.
Distracted Driving
Distracted driving in all of its forms is a primary cause of motor vehicle collisions that result in serious injuries. When a driver is distracted behind the wheel—by having his or her hands off the wheel, eyes off the road, or mind off the task of driving—a severe crash can happen. Motorists can drive into oncoming traffic or may cause serious whiplash injuries in a rear-end collision because the distracted driver did not realize the car ahead was coming to a stop.
Drowsy Driving
In many drowsy driving accidents, the motorist responsible for the crash falls asleep at the wheel and can collide in a variety of ways with other traffic on the road. The NHTSA reports that about 100,000 crashes involve drowsy driving every year and lead to more than 70,000 personal injuries annually. Some commentators and researchers believe those numbers are actually quite low given that drowsy driving cannot be tracked as drunk or distracted driving can. For example, the AAA Foundation for Traffic Safety reports that about 328,000 drowsy driving crashes happen each year.
Aggressive Driving
Speeding, which is one form of aggressive driving, is routinely responsible for a high rate of serious and fatal motor vehicle collisions in New Mexico and throughout the country. Beyond speeding, other forms of aggressive driving, such as tailgating, weaving in traffic, running red lights or stop signs, and even more aggressive behavior that rises to the level of road rage. Many different types of collisions can result from aggressive driving, from rear-end crashes to side-swipe and T-bone collisions to head-on accidents that occur when aggressive drivers attempt to pass on a two-lane road.
Contact Our New Mexico Personal Injury Attorneys Today
If you have questions about filing a personal injury claim after being hurt in a motor vehicle collision, one of the experienced Santa Fe personal injury lawyers at our firm can assist you. Contact Slate Stern Law for more information about filing a lawsuit in order to seek financial compensation for your losses.