There are dozens of traffic statutes on each state’s books, which makes it easy for people to forget some of them. New drivers have to attend a state-approved course and pass a test proving their understanding of traffic statutes. They also typically need to pass a test demonstrating their ability to safely operate a vehicle.
Unfortunately, many people become complacent on the road after acquiring their licenses. They assume that they have the driving skill to avoid collisions and may begin occasionally violating traffic statutes. Even typically law-abiding individuals may feel comfortable bending or breaking certain traffic regulations.
What starts as one or two cases of bending the rules may lead to a habit of regularly breaking them. Those who fall into patterns of ignoring or violating traffic statutes may eventually cause serious, preventable collisions. Certain types of violations have a particularly strong association with increased crash risk.
Texting while driving
Quite a few people readily acknowledge that distracted driving is dangerous. However, they believe that their own skill level is sufficient to allow them to text safely while driving. In some cases, they may think they have a workaround to the state’s law against manually using a device while driving. Some people text at stop lights, while others use hands-free software. They may still end up distracted enough to cause crashes.
Speeding habitually
Most motorists view speed limits as suggestions or possibly the baseline speed maintained on a particular road. They may assume speeding isn’t really an issue if everyone else does it too. Drivers may fall into a pattern of exceeding the posted speed limit by between five and 10 miles per hour even when the weather makes their choices particularly dangerous. Speeding can increase both the risk of a collision and the severity of any crashes that do occur.
Ignoring turn indicators
Whether a driver calls their turn indicators blinkers or turn signals, they should make a point of using them consistently. They are a key form of communication with others in traffic. Unfortunately, many drivers view turn signals as optional rather than mandatory. Especially when they are close to home or turning right, they may fail to use their turn signals, which can lead to preventable collisions.
Motorists who may have violated statutes may be liable for the motor vehicle collisions that follow their misconduct. Holding another driver accountable for breaking traffic statutes can help victims to pay to repair their vehicles and cover injury-related expenses.