With the Christmas and New Year's holidays fast approaching, Minnesota residents may be on alert to potential drunk drivers on the road. With an increase in festivities at this time of year, that is wise. However, drunk drivers are far from the only dangers that people face on the roads and highways today.
Drivers who are distracted primarily by their phones, navigation systems or other electronic gadgets are fast becoming one of the greatests threats to personal safety in the country. While alcohol, fatigue and general recklessness should be enough for people to worry about, there is yet one more concern. Even with increasing awareness about the true risks of distracted driving, it seems things are not changing for the better any time soon.
Some suggest that the only real help for this problem will come in the form of autonomous cars. Eventually McKinsey & Co. believe that as many as nine out of every 10 accidents could be prevented or eliminated if self-driving cars take over. That, however, is not likely to happen until at least 2045 according to Recode. In the meantime, thousands of people are dying on American roads every year at the hands of distracted drivers. More than 3,400 fatalities were attributed to distracted driving in 2015 alone.
People in Minnesota who are involved in crashes caused by drivers who refuse to put away their phones might wish to discuss compensation options with an experienced personal injury and accident lawyer.
Source: Forbes, "Distracted Driving Will Stop When Cars Drive Themselves," Theo Miller, Dec. 5, 2017