People across the country have organized into groups in an attempt to reduce roadway deaths and serious injuries.
Virtually every day, several hundred individuals experience catastrophic events, but we don't hear about them unless they involves large numbers of people or the circumstances are very unusual.
But let's connect the dots to show how serious, seemingly individual incidents actually tie together.
Here is a brief account of accidents reported in a seven-day period in five Southern states:
Oct. 24: A 22-year-old motorcyclist killed on Beach Boulevard in Jacksonville, Fla.
Oct. 25: A sport utility vehicle full of high school cheerleaders collided with an oncoming car on wet, foggy highway in rural northeastern Tennessee, killing four people, authorities said. The SUV lost control on a curve, flipped on its side and crossed the center lane, slamming into a Ford Taurus. The SUV erupted into flames.
Oct. 26: A Gainesville, Ga., man was killed in motorcycle wreck when he lost control of his motorcycle on U.S. Highway 129 in Lumpkin County.
Oct. 27: A 51-year-old Kiln, Miss., man was killed in a wreck involving his motorcycle and a pickup driven by an 18-year-old in Pearl River County.
Oct. 26: A 49-year-old bicyclist was killed on the Granada Bridge in Ormond Beach, Fla., when she was hit by an eastbound SUV driving in the bike lane.
Oct. 27: A Covington, Ga., man died three days after his 22nd birthday when he crashed his car while racing two others on Clark Howell Highway.
Oct. 28: A Parker. Fla., man died shortly after his motorcycle crashed into a car, landing underneath the vehicle in Panama City.
Oct 30: A Davie, Fla., businessman died Wednesday in a motorcycle accident on Florida's Turnpike.
Oct. 30: An Arab, Ala., man died when his motorcycle collided with a car.
Nov. 1: A West Palm Beach, Fla., man was killed in a motorcycle accident on Boggy Creek Road in Osceola County.
Notice how many of the fatalities were young people doing exactly what many safety groups try to prevent; the big picture is much more frightening than any one incident.
Insurers ultimately pay out significant amounts of money for vehicle repairs. The average cost of repairs in traffic mishaps ranges between $2,500 and $2,900. Injuries to occupants result in even more costly medical care.
Even a nonlife-threatening injury including ambulance transportation and emergency room bills, not to mention the additional billing for lab tests, X-ray readings plus disposable medical equipment and pharmacy items, pushes the cost of such treatment into the thousands of dollars. Questions of fault can lead to litigation that is costly to the insurer and the individual not only in dollars but also in time and effort as litigation can remain unresolved over a number of months or years.
There's another consideration. Individuals must understand what their insurance limits are for medical and personal liability and collision liability since the insurer is obligated to cover its insured up to the policy limits.
While we all want lower insurance rates, try to grasp the bigger picture. In just one week's time, across five states, there were all these newsworthy accidents resulting in death, destruction and injuries.
These crashes were so unusual that they made the news. What about all the traffic crashes that do not make the news?
This is a much bigger problem than most of us take the time to consider. If I'm a safe driver, at least I can earn discounts from my insurer for being a safe driver and for being a long-standing customer. We are all affected by the forces around us, so auto rates are not just a function of how safe a driver I am, but also what goes on around me.
That's why so many groups try to impress the public with issues of driving safety in cars, trucks, motorcycles and even bicycles.
Simply put, drag racing, overdriving your headlights at night, failure to keep your vehicle under control, tailgating and changing lanes without signaling add up whether we do it or someone else does.
Get the best rates by comparing free online auto insurance quotes now!
Virtually every day, several hundred individuals experience catastrophic events, but we don't hear about them unless they involves large numbers of people or the circumstances are very unusual.
But let's connect the dots to show how serious, seemingly individual incidents actually tie together.
Here is a brief account of accidents reported in a seven-day period in five Southern states:
Oct. 24: A 22-year-old motorcyclist killed on Beach Boulevard in Jacksonville, Fla.
Oct. 25: A sport utility vehicle full of high school cheerleaders collided with an oncoming car on wet, foggy highway in rural northeastern Tennessee, killing four people, authorities said. The SUV lost control on a curve, flipped on its side and crossed the center lane, slamming into a Ford Taurus. The SUV erupted into flames.
Oct. 26: A Gainesville, Ga., man was killed in motorcycle wreck when he lost control of his motorcycle on U.S. Highway 129 in Lumpkin County.
Oct. 27: A 51-year-old Kiln, Miss., man was killed in a wreck involving his motorcycle and a pickup driven by an 18-year-old in Pearl River County.
Oct. 26: A 49-year-old bicyclist was killed on the Granada Bridge in Ormond Beach, Fla., when she was hit by an eastbound SUV driving in the bike lane.
Oct. 27: A Covington, Ga., man died three days after his 22nd birthday when he crashed his car while racing two others on Clark Howell Highway.
Oct. 28: A Parker. Fla., man died shortly after his motorcycle crashed into a car, landing underneath the vehicle in Panama City.
Oct 30: A Davie, Fla., businessman died Wednesday in a motorcycle accident on Florida's Turnpike.
Oct. 30: An Arab, Ala., man died when his motorcycle collided with a car.
Nov. 1: A West Palm Beach, Fla., man was killed in a motorcycle accident on Boggy Creek Road in Osceola County.
Notice how many of the fatalities were young people doing exactly what many safety groups try to prevent; the big picture is much more frightening than any one incident.
Insurers ultimately pay out significant amounts of money for vehicle repairs. The average cost of repairs in traffic mishaps ranges between $2,500 and $2,900. Injuries to occupants result in even more costly medical care.
Even a nonlife-threatening injury including ambulance transportation and emergency room bills, not to mention the additional billing for lab tests, X-ray readings plus disposable medical equipment and pharmacy items, pushes the cost of such treatment into the thousands of dollars. Questions of fault can lead to litigation that is costly to the insurer and the individual not only in dollars but also in time and effort as litigation can remain unresolved over a number of months or years.
There's another consideration. Individuals must understand what their insurance limits are for medical and personal liability and collision liability since the insurer is obligated to cover its insured up to the policy limits.
While we all want lower insurance rates, try to grasp the bigger picture. In just one week's time, across five states, there were all these newsworthy accidents resulting in death, destruction and injuries.
These crashes were so unusual that they made the news. What about all the traffic crashes that do not make the news?
This is a much bigger problem than most of us take the time to consider. If I'm a safe driver, at least I can earn discounts from my insurer for being a safe driver and for being a long-standing customer. We are all affected by the forces around us, so auto rates are not just a function of how safe a driver I am, but also what goes on around me.
That's why so many groups try to impress the public with issues of driving safety in cars, trucks, motorcycles and even bicycles.
Simply put, drag racing, overdriving your headlights at night, failure to keep your vehicle under control, tailgating and changing lanes without signaling add up whether we do it or someone else does.
Get the best rates by comparing free online auto insurance quotes now!
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