California Personal Injury Lawyers Blog
A study done by YourMechanic, a startup in Mountain View, California, recently revealed an interesting fact about California drivers—according to the study, California drivers rank first place for the “Most Aggressive Drivers” in the country.
The startup specializes in serving car owners with car problems. Their study also analyzed other categories including “Which is the Most Dangerous State to Drive in?” and “Average Driver Speed.” Surprisingly, New Mexico took first place for “Most Dangerous State to Drive in” and Wyoming took first place for “Average Driver Speed.”
In determining the state with the most aggressive drivers, the study looked at the rate of aggressive driving events per minute of travel. These events included things like speeding, hard braking, and accelerating. California has the most frequent rate “with an average of 6.6 minutes per journey” involving these aggressive driving events. On YourMechanic’s rubric, in terms of aggressive driving, California earned a 10—a perfect score.
However, even with this new title, luckily, “Californian traffic law is stricter than many states and even treats aggressive driving as an automobile crime.” In California, if a person acts on their road rage and it leads to an accident, or harm to another person, that person can face criminal charges—possible charges include assault with a deadly weapon, reckless driving and hit-and-run if an aggressive driver leaves the scene after causing an accident.
In addition to criminal charges, a driver who causes an accident because of their road rage or intentional aggressive actions will also be civilly responsible for any harm they cause to another person. This means, the driver must cover the costs associated with the harm the driver caused to that person.
What to do if You are a Victim of Road rage
If you have been a victim of an accident caused by another driver’s aggressive driving, there are options. If you have been injured in this type of accident, you should speak to a Southern California Personal Injury attorney right away. These types of accidents can often involve more than one aggressive driver and require a detailed investigation to determine who caused the accident. An experienced attorney can help you with the investigation, and in bringing a personal injury claim to receive financial compensation for your injuries—this compensation is used to cover the costs of hospital bills, doctor’s appointments, and recovery costs such as physical therapy.
If you have lost a family member in an accident caused by road rage or aggressive, reckless driving, you can bring a wrongful death suit on behalf of your loved one. The compensation received in through a wrongful death claim can help cover the unexpected costs such as funeral and burial expenses.
With this new title for California drivers, we hope you stay safe out there! If you are involved in a car accident, the skilled attorneys at Walch Law are ready to help you. We can assist in investigating your case and identifying responsible parties, including the driver’s insurance company, so you can get the compensation you deserve. Call us today for a free consultation at 866-465-8792.