Throughout Alamo Heights, Olmos Park, Terrell Hills and surrounding areas, many drivers have vehicles that are equipped with technologies designed to prevent collisions. They can have a positive impact on reducing car accidents as long as the technologies are used responsibly.

A personal injury lawyer knows that these technologies can also become dangerous if drivers rely too much on them to the detriment of focusing on road safety. Drivers need to remember that technologies are not foolproof and that there is no substitute for paying careful attention to the road and driving assertively.

Safety Technologies are Imperfect at Reducing Accident Risks

Two of the most common types of safety technologies installed in vehicles today include blind spot detectors and lane-keep systems or lane departure warning systems. The purpose of blind spot detectors is to alert drivers to the fact that there is an object or vehicle in their blind spot. The purpose of lane departure warning systems is to make sure that motorists do not veer outside of their lanes.

Approximately two percent of cars in 2014 had blind spot detection systems installed as standard features while a full 75 percent of vehicles offered this technology as an optional add-on. Around 50 percent of 2014 vehicles had a lane departure system option.

AOL Auto reports that AAA and MIT’s AgeLab joined forces to test these technologies and see how well they worked. The results showed that there is a lot of room for improvement.

When it comes to blind spot detection, this technology did not work very well if the cars that were in the vehicle’s blind spot were traveling quickly. The technology was even less effective when a motorcycle was in the blind spot. The motorcycle did not show up on the detector until 26 percent later than passenger cars did and by this time, the car and motorcycle were only 14 feet apart. In situations where the motorcycle was going 50 miles-per-hour faster than the car, the motorcycle actually never showed up in the blind spot detection system. Because many drivers use these systems on highways when merging or passing, and cars tend to go fast on highways, it is really dangerous that the systems tend to work badly at high speeds.

Lane detection systems were also imperfect under many different conditions. These systems tended to malfunction when the driver was traveling through a construction zone; when the conditions on the road were wet; or when the pavement was worn.

Drivers need to be aware of the fact that these systems may not be that good at preventing collisions. While motorists can use them as a supplement to help them avoid accidents, drivers still need to follow best practices for safety and rely on their own instincts to avoid motor vehicle accidents. Ultimately, drivers are responsible if an accident happens, even if their technology that was supposed to prevent it did not work as planned.

Contact a San Antonio accident lawyer at the Herrera Law Firm. Call 800-455-1054 or visit www.herreralaw.com for a free case consultation. Serving San Antonio, Alamo Heights, Olmos Park, Terrell Hills and surrounding areas.

The start of another new year means it is time to brainstorm resolutions for 2015. Most people in San Antonio, Alamo Heights, Olmos Park, Terrell Hills and surrounding areas make resolutions designed to improve their health or some other aspect of their lives. For example, you may resolve to read more books, spend more time with your family or lose weight this new years.

When you are thinking about the resolutions you can make to improve this year, consider resolving to try to be a better driver. A personal injury lawyer knows that accidents are routinely caused by drivers making bad choices. With a few simple lifestyle changes, you could reduce the risk of a collision and make the roads safer for everyone.

What to Resolve to Improve Driver Safety

Almost every driver does at least some dangerous things behind the road. Unfortunately, the majority of motorists will get into a crash at some point in their lives. In fact, Forbes reports that a driver will file a claim with an auto insurance company for a motor vehicle crash an average of once every 17.9 years.

There are a few different behaviors that contribute to causing the majority of collisions in the United States. If you make a resolution to make three simple changes to the way that you drive, you can help to avoid becoming a cause of a crash that injures yourself or others. This year in 2015 and beyond, you should resolve:

• That you won’t drive distracted any more. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), there are nine people killed and 1,153 people hurt every single day in this country because of distracted drivers. You increase your risk of a distracted driving crash by taking your eyes off of the road; by taking your hands off of the wheel; or by doing things that cause a cognitive distraction. Often, using a cell phone or electronic device requires you to do all three of these things. This year, resolve that you won’t let your focus be taken away from the road.
• That you won’t speed any more. Speeding is really common, but it is also a cause of around a third of all car accidents in the United States, according to the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety. The majority of speeding crashes — 38 percent — happen on minor local roads while only 30 percent occur on interstates and freeways. You can avoid the risk of these crashes and also save yourself money by going the speed limit. Fuel Economy reports that you’ll get 33 percent better gas mileage on highways and five percent better mileage on town roads if you slow down.
• That you won’t be aggressive on the roads. Aggressive driving includes things like tailgating and changing lanes when it is not safe to do so. Aggressive driving increases the risk of crashes and threatens the safety of others. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration reports that as many as 67 percent of drivers said they have felt threatened by aggressive driving behavior over the course of the year.

These three changes are minor shifts in the way you drive, but they can make all the difference.

Contact a San Antonio accident lawyer at the Herrera Law Firm. Call 800-455-1054 or visit www.herreralaw.com for a free case consultation. Serving San Antonio, Alamo Heights, Olmos Park, Terrell Hills and surrounding areas.