You may have heard that many car accidents occur close to home. One study has reported data that supports this idea, focusing on how long a trip lasts before it ends in a crash. It may be helpful to know this, especially if you or someone you love was injured in a crash in Ohio.
Trips under 10 minutes may be the worst
The study was conducted by Austrian telematics provider Dolphin Technologies. It used data from 40,000 car owners who had installed Dolphin’s devices in their vehicles. The data came to some 3.2 million car trips between 2018 and 2019, 87% of which lasted less than 30 minutes and 1% of which lasted over one hour. Of these 3.2 million trips, 1,986 ended in a crash.
It turns out that around 25% of these crashes took place just three minutes into a trip. An additional 14% occurred in the first six minutes of a trip. Researchers say that if drivers were to avoid short trips, defined here as trips shorter than 10 minutes, then they could help prevent some 40% of crashes. People could always walk or take a bicycle as an alternative.
What car trips run the lowest risk?
Relatively, trips between 10 and 20 minutes run the lowest risk for a crash. Drivers are 2.5 times more likely to crash if their trip exceeds 40 minutes. It’s important to be vigilant during both short and long trips, then. During the latter, drivers should ensure that they are taking regular breaks. They must also avoid all negligent actions behind the wheel: DUI, speeding, distracted driving and so on.
What to do as the victim of another’s negligence
A car accident has left you dealing with both physical injuries and emotional scars. If the other side is to blame for the accident, then you may file a claim against that driver’s insurance company. A successful claim might cover both economic and non-economic damages. Negotiating for a settlement, though, can be hard to do alone, so you may want to see a lawyer.