Highway Deaths a Reminder That Defensive Driving is Best

Summertime means fun road trips! Who in America hasn’t taken to the highways for an adventure to some far away place?  But, unfortunately, the heated highways, holidays and driver demographics lead federal safety officials, insurers and the American Automotive Association (AAA) to call it the deadliest season for motorists.

As a sad example of this danger on our highways, the death toll now stands at 15 since April 2015 on a busy stretch of I-16 near Savannah after five adults died in a head-on collision last week. Three adults in a Ford Mustang going westbound crossed a wide median into the eastbound lane, hitting a Kia Soul carrying two people. All were found dead at the scene. Police believe the Ford Mustang was going at a high rate of speed.

The AAA calls summer the “100 Deadliest Days” because teen drivers, statistically the worst, pour onto the roads. A recent National Highway Traffic Safety Administration report shows that from 2005 to 2013, July, August and September had the highest fatality rates per 100 million vehicle miles traveled. During a 16-year stretch, the most fatal wrecks happened on July 3-4, according to the NHTSA.

Drinking, distractions, speeding and congested highways all contribute to the grim numbers. What most reports do not account for are tire failures, which tend to increase in summer months. Hotter asphalt and longer trips amplify defective tire designs, materials and faulty manufacturing processes. And heat is the enemy of tires regardless of how well they are made.

Tires are made in layers. Each layer requires a meticulous adhesion process. If something goes wrong at the factory, the resulting defect is often not apparent to consumers until the tire fails and they lose control of their vehicles.

Popular Mechanics describes tire failures in detail in an article that calls May through September “tire blowout season.”

Harris Lowry Manton attorneys have handled many tire failure cases. We recommend that you:

• keep your tires properly inflated to the manufacturers’ recommendations
• periodically check the air pressure with a tire gauge when you fill up at the gas station
• not overload your vehicle because it adds stress to the tires
• consistently check the tire treads to make sure they are not too worn.

We cannot always avoid wrecks and defensive driving gives us our best chance for survival. The following tips can help in an emergency.

• Obey the posted speed limit
• Never drive while impaired
• Keep a four-second distance between your car and the vehicle in front of you
• If someone is driving aggressively, let them pass
• Turn headlights on so that other drivers can see you at a greater distance
• Look to the horizon for problems ahead and plan your next few maneuvers
• Do not talk on the cell phone or text
• Wear your seatbelt
• Keep a good distance from trucks that make wide right turns and have many blind spots that make you invisible
• When you increase your speed, increase your braking time
• Do not drive when exhausted or experiencing a personal medical emergency.

This guide to defensive driving contains more suggestions.

Harris Lowry Manton attorneys have decades of experience with collision, defective tire and catastrophic injury cases. If you need help, please call us toll-free at 404-961-7650 or fill out our online contact form.