Keeping your vehicle on track is one of the most fundamental traffic safety requirements. But according to the Colorado State Patrol, lane violations are one of the leading factors in auto crashes across the state. Over a three-year span, 2019-21, the CSP investigated 1,512 injury and fatal crashes caused by drivers straying from their lane. The agency calls the figures not only alarming but frustrating, “because the crashes caused by lane violations are completely avoidable.”
Lane violations are the result of a wide range of behaviors. They can be caused by drunk, fatigued, distracted, or otherwise impaired drivers who aren’t paying sufficient attention and drift out of their lane. Or aggressive drivers jockeying for position. Or by people who consider themselves to be “careful” drivers but execute an unsafe lane change, forcing drivers around them to brake or swerve.
An astonishing number of car crashes are caused by drivers failing to signal a lane change. One study by the Society of American Engineers found that failing to use a turn signal accounts for more than 2 million crashes a year! That’s more than double the rate of accidents blamed on distracted driving. Talk about “completely avoidable” accidents. Yet nearly half of all drivers either don’t use their signal for a lane change or fail to turn it off when they do.
While all kinds of drivers are involved in unsafe lane changes, the CSP reports that the highest number of lane violation crashes can be attributed to drivers in the 22-39 age range (who also happen to be among the most distracted drivers). The highways where such violations are most prevalent include I-25, I-70, U.S. Highway 50, and the 470 beltway.
The agency has launched a campaign to raise awareness among drivers of the dangers associated with lane violations. Among the basic behaviors they are trying to address:
- Don’t drive if you’re impaired.
- Don’t veer while distracted (better yet, don’t get distracted in the first place).
- Don’t drive aggressively.
Behind the campaign is an even simpler message: Stay in your lane. If you must change lanes, do so with consideration for other drivers and signal your intentions in advance. The life you save could be your own.
THE CAR CRASH LAWYERS AT FRANKLIN D. AZAR & ASSOCIATES
For more than thirty years the attorneys at Franklin D. Azar & Associates have helped thousands of injured people obtain complete and timely compensation for their losses. Our proven track record and expertise have allowed us to grow into the largest personal-injury law firm in Colorado, with offices in Denver, Aurora, Thornton, Fort Collins, Greeley, Grand Junction, Colorado Springs, and Pueblo. If you’ve been injured in a bus, car, truck, or motorcycle accident, you may be entitled to compensation. Please call the car accident attorneys at FDAzar day or night at 720-372-1162, or contact us here for a free consultation and no-obligation evaluation of your case.
