Drivers in Pennsylvania must watch out for bad traffic conditions, damaged roads and additional dangers. Other drivers, though, pose the biggest threat and cause the most accidents.
While some errors seem understandable, others veer toward criminal negligence.
The important role of the driver
According to the Pennsylvania Department of Transportation, nearly 90% of traffic accidents happened due to poor driving practices. Many of these crashes involved two groups of drivers: young people who might lack experience and good judgment and seniors over the age of 65 who might have reduced physical abilities.
The role of speed
State records for 2021 listed excess speed as the biggest contributing factor in road accidents. Of the state’s over 117,000 crashes, nearly 26,000 involved excess speed as a factor. This included 441 traffic fatalities.
The remaining driver error categories
The next highest cause of accidents due to driver error involved a distracted driver. This might include such things as texting and driving or talking with passengers. This action caused 12,703 crashes in 2021 and 58 fatalities. Accidents related to improper turning resulted in 12,525 road crashes and 65 deaths.
The category of proceeding without clearance (sometimes known as failure to yield) resulted in 8,585 driver error accidents and 49 deaths. A driver impaired by alcohol caused just over 8,000 accidents, but a disproportionately higher rate of traffic deaths at 124. Careless or improper passing, drowsy drivers and tailgating caused a total of about 14,000 accidents.
Serious accidents due to driver error cause widespread suffering. Legal action can help gain compensation for victims of negligent driving practices.