The roads close to home that people travel every day in Missouri become extremely familiar to local drivers. This familiarity can cause people to navigate roads on mental autopilot. People in their neighborhoods sometimes fall back on muscle memory instead of conscious evaluation of their surroundings. Daily drives to home and work relax motorists and leave them vulnerable to unexpected hazards like car breakdowns, animals in the street or others on the road.
A large portion of car crashes occur within 25 miles of people’s homes. To promote safety, people can combat the relaxing effect of familiar surroundings by maintaining their alertness and using seat belts.
Statistics support buckling up at all times. When the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety surveyed people about seat belt use, many responded that they did not feel the need to use them when traveling a small distance. People need to resist the false sense of safety that might arise when making a short trip. With accidents likely to happen near home, the habit of always using a seat belt could prevent injury or death.
When negligent drivers cause crashes, the victims could be left with high medical bills and sometimes disabling catastrophic injuries. A person who wants to make a personal injury claim after being hurt by a reckless or distracted driver could consult an attorney who has car accident litigation experience. An attorney could review the police report or gather additional evidence by hiring an accident reconstruction specialist. Evidence that points to the other driver’s negligence could be used in a personal injury lawsuit filed against the at-fault motorist.
