Even Technology Needs Help to Prevent Car Accidents

Fort Lauderdale car accident attorney Joseph Lipsky reminds drivers to be careful in only relying upon a new car’s “accident avoidance” technology, rather than truly paying attention to your surroundings. According to a recent study from AAA, those backing up systems and cross traffic alerts are not as reliable as most drivers believe. The study’s lesson, drivers should use their experience and behind the wheel skills rather than just relying upon technology to save themselves from being involved in a car accident.

While a car’s warning systems are supposed to alert drivers about possible hazards, tests results reveal that every vehicle’s accident prevention systems vary greatly. Incredibly, tests demonstrated that when a car with rear warning systems was parked in between two other vehicles, it failed to warn the driver of passing motorcycles, bicycles, smaller cars and pedestrians about 50% of the time. Sadly, most drivers are unaware of this significant likelihood of failure, as they are lead to believe, mainly by mainstream advertising, that the car’s systems are truly reliable. Regardless of the manufacturer, and the added costs of such warning systems, which averages around $3,000.00, tests proved that no on vehicle was 100% reliable in detecting all hazards behind a vehicle.

We agree with the AAA that all motorists, regardless of which safety features their vehicle has, should always look behind and to the sides of their car and check the rear and side-view mirrors before backing up. Backing into a parking space will can assist drivers in eventually preventing accident, unfortunately, most parking lots require vehicle “head in” parking. This is precisely one of the reasons why the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, is requiring all new vehicles, by the model year 2018, to have mandatory backup cameras. The government hope is that requiring such cameras will help avoid wrongful deaths and personal injuries. According to the NHTSA, backing up accidents cause more than 250 deaths and over 15,000 personal injuries each year.

Miami personal injury attorney Joseph Lipsky concurs with the AAA and NHTSA that drivers need to remember that their attentiveness, and not relying upon technology, will have the biggest influence in preventing accidents.