Vehicle collisions remain unfortunate occurrences on Michigan highways. Although cars and SUVs come with more safety features, accidents still happen. Poor driving habits stay commonplace on roads and expressways, making travel dangerous. Sometimes, a crash could lead to severe injuries or deaths. Ironically, signs designed to reduce accidents may lead to increased incidents of crashes due to the distraction that they can cause.
Collisions due to distraction
Fear may alter people’s behavior. Signs posted on highways could seek to instill fear. A sign that points out how many people died in 2021 due to unsafe driving might lead a speeding driver to slow down. Twenty-seven states utilized such road signs, but a study from the University of Minnesota in Minneapolis suggests the distracting and fear-inducing signs can cause problems. Namely, the signs could take the driver’s attention away from the road, creating a hazard.
Distracted driving involves anything that takes attention or hands from the road. Texting while driving is a typical example, but rubbernecking or reading signs could also become dangerous distractions. Someone looking at a traffic safety sign might not see a pedestrian crossing the road or notice a stalled car. A collision might then occur as a result of distraction.
Civil consequences of distracted driving
Distracted drivers may face negligence claims if they cause bodily injury, property damage or death. Someone choosing to drink coffee while driving or being more concerned with the radio than the road might be liable for an accident since their behavior may contribute to the crash.
Interestingly, the municipality could face liability claims. The signs may factor into the distracting behavior that leads to car accidents. Ultimately, any party that played a negligent role in an accident may face a liability claim.
A personal injury or wrongful death lawsuit is a way to procure compensation for losses. With auto accidents, many victims seek compensation through an insurance claim.
