Marietta Motor Vehicle Accidents Law Blog

The setting of the sun and the arrival of evening does not mean motorists cease driving on Georgia roads. However, what people may not know as they head home from work or drive to the store is how much more dangerous driving is at nighttime. The National Safety Council provides some common reasons drivers should be on guard if they take a drive during the evening hours.

One of the major issues with driving at night is decreased visibility. Normal headlights afford drivers about 250 feet of visibility, with 500 feet if high beams are used. The drop in visibility puts drivers at greater risk of an accident since there is less time to react to an occurrence on the road, such as fallen debris or a vehicle swerving into your lane. Reaction time further diminishes if you drive at high speed.

Driving a larger commercial vehicle is no easy feat. There are a ton of things drivers must keep in mind, especially when it comes to the safety of other motorists. Fortunately, it is possible for truckers to greatly lower the risk of an accident, provided they take the right steps. Smart-Trucking.com explains some of these steps and how they prevent a serious issue from occurring. 

Being in a rush can land a person in quite a bit of trouble. This is especially true when operating a large vehicle. Truckers who are rushing to get from place to place are likely to make more mistakes, which in turn can lead to more accidents occurring. Speeding not only increases accident risk, it also results in more severe injuries and property damage should a crash occur. While all drivers are responsible for maintaining the proper speed and following traffic laws, it's crucial that truckers also do the same. 

People in Marietta likely realize the importance of being able to rely on semi-trucks to deliver cargo and freight across the country. Yet their role in the national economy does not minimize the danger that such vehicles can pose to others on the road around them. Their massive size may all but ensure that any accident they might be involved in produces catastrophic results. The hope is that not only are those driving them trained to the highest of industry safety standards, but also that they take the responsibility of keeping their vehicles under the complete control very seriously. 

Those drivers that do not take this responsibility to heart may end up causing untold harm. This fact was reaffirmed in a fiery crash that recently occurred in Indiana. A semi-truck crashed into a line of cars that was halted due to freeway construction. Ultimately, seven vehicles were involved in the crash. One of the cars caught fire, killing its occupants (a young woman and her two daughters). Seven others sustained injuries that required them to be hospitalized. Investigators say that the driver of the semi-truck was speeding before he hit the other vehicles. He has been arrested and charged with reckless homicide. 

Most in Marietta likely believe that their own well-developed driving skills will help them to avoid accidents. While that may be true in many cases, one can never fully eliminate the potential of encountering a reckless driver on the road (at which point control over avoiding an accident may be taken completely out of their hands). Reckless drivers may often leave a great deal of devastation in their wake, including serious injuries and even fatalities on top of the damage they cause to others vehicles. Some such cases may require that accident victims seek legal action, either to secure adequate insurance coverage or collect damages from the responsible party. 

Just such an accident was recently witnessed in McIntosh County. A man driving a Honda Accord reportedly struck a Volvo carrying four passengers. Those passengers exited the vehicle and stood on the shoulder of the road as they waited for help to arrive. Yet just minutes later, several other vehicles struck those already disabled by the accident. These multiple collisions ultimately resulted in the deaths of a mother and daughter.