Georgia Injury Attorney Blog
How many times has someone cut you off while you were on your way to work? How many near misses did you have with another car? Atlanta is a city of dangerous drivers, and our Atlanta personal injury attorneys have found proof that we have some of the worst drivers in the United States.
Each year, Allstate ranks motorists in the 200 largest cities in the nation based on their driving safety. In the recently released 10th-annual America’s Best Drivers Report, Atlanta ranked close to the bottom of those 200 cities, meaning that the drivers in Atlanta are some of the most dangerous in the country. Sadly, this was not a surprise to anyone in our Atlanta personal injury law firm.
Leading the Nation in Bad Driving
According to the study, Atlanta drivers are involved in an auto accident an average of once every 7.2 years, nearly twice as frequently as the nation’s safest drivers in Fort Collins, Colorado. That number is also significantly worse than the national average of once every 10 years.
What makes these results worse in the eyes of our Atlanta personal injury lawyers is the fact that Atlanta has dropped in the safety rankings by 15 places. This indicates that the roads and interstates in and around the metro area are getting more dangerous.
Atlanta and Georgia saw 1,192 traffic fatalities in 2012, which our Atlanta personal injury attorneys note is the most recent year of complete data available through the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. The majority of those fatal accidents occurred within the Atlanta metro area. Congestion and speeding were two leading causes.
Playing it Safe
Our Atlanta personal injury team wants to help encourage safe driving and alternative choices to reduce the number of accidents in the metro area. Try giving yourself more time to get from place to place and slow down. The slower you go, the more time you have to react to the events unfolding around you. Put away distractions, especially cell phones. Remember that texting and driving is illegal because it dramatically increases the likelihood that you will be in an accident.
In addition to steps you can take as a driver, you can also take steps to avoid driving and lessen traffic for everyone. Consider carpooling to work, or ask your boss if you can telecommute one day a week. If those are not an option, consider taking MARTA or your local bus system instead of driving for your commute. Not only are they safer forms of transportation, they can give you some free time to read or listen to music before you make it into the office.