Accidents happen for many reasons, from distraction to a lack of knowledge regarding traffic laws to vehicle malfunctions. In studying the risks on the road, though, experts often come back to the fact that emotions can get the best of people behind the wheel. This can lead to aggressive driving, speeding, poor decision-making and even road rage.
For example, consider merging on the interstate when entering a construction zone. We’ve all been there. Traffic slows down as one lane turns into two, and everyone has to merge to the left.
In an ideal world, everyone in the left lane would just let one person from the right lane merge in. Yes, everyone would have to slow down a bit to make it possible, but things would go relatively smoothly.
What often happens is that people from the right lane try to force their way in while people from the left lane try to block them. Everyone in the left lane wants all of the other cars to merge behind them, even though that’s not realistic. Everyone in the right lane wants to dart as far forward as possible before merging — cutting off the rest of the cars and getting a better place in line.
This leads, as you’d predict, to anger. Drivers try to cut each other off or block other cars. People honk and yell out of open car windows. When things go too far, cars even collide.
Have you been caught up in this type of chaos on the interstate and subsequently injured in an accident? Make sure you know what legal rights you have to financial compensation.
Source: Jalopnik, “Stop Trying To Make The ‘Zipper Merge’ Happen,” Matt Hardigree, accessed April 03, 2018