Most Common Causes of Car Accidents in Oklahoma City
With the convergence of three major interstates bringing daily commuters, travelers, and large commercial trucks into Oklahoma City, car accidents are an unfortunate daily occurrence. There were 697 traffic accident fatalities in Oklahoma in 2023, a slight decrease since the record highs during 2021, but still significantly higher than a decade ago.
Car accidents are traumatic and terrifying for individuals, often causing serious injuries and long-term impacts on self-sufficiency. The estimated financial costs of Oklahoma traffic accidents in 2023 were $17.9 billion in medical expenses and lost productivity. Make sure to speak with an experienced car accident lawyer in Oklahoma City for legal guidance and support.
What Are the Most Common Causes of Oklahoma City Car Accidents?
Sometimes inclement weather, hazardous road conditions, poor roadway planning, or defective auto parts cause or contribute to car accidents in Oklahoma, but by far the most common cause of crashes is driver error. The following careless or reckless driving behaviors lead to car accidents with injuries and fatalities:
- Speeding: speeding causes decreased control, longer stopping time, and reduced ability to react to dangers, contributing to nearly 30% of all car accidents
- Distracted driving: distracted driving accidents have skyrocketed since smartphones became central to our lives
- Tailgating: driving too closely to a vehicle in front increases the chances of a rear-end collision
- Failure to yield the right of way: intersections are the most common locations for traffic accidents
- Unsafe lane changes: vehicle blind spots and failure to double-check blind spots before changing lands cause dangerous sideswipe accidents on divided highways
- Improper merging
- Intoxicated driving: 13,524 traffic fatalities occurred in 2022 due to drunk driving
- Drowsy driving: operating a vehicle while excessively sleeping impacts driving ability to an extent similar to drunk driving
- Running red lights and stop signs
- Improper passing
- Aggressive driving
When a driver’s carelessness or aggressive driving causes a car accident in Oklahoma City, they are liable for the damages they cause to injury victims under the state’s modified comparison negligence insurance laws. The word “damages” describes the economic consequences to victims like medical expenses and lost wages as well as the non-economic damages like pain and suffering.
What Types of Car Accidents Commonly Occur In Oklahoma City?
When a driver fails to take reasonable actions to avoid causing an accident, such as failing to follow traffic laws or texting and driving, the result may be a serious or catastrophic car accident with injuries and financial damages to others. Common types of car accidents in OKC include rear-end collisions, side-impact (T-bone) accidents, head-on collisions, sideswipes, roadway departures, and vehicle rollover accidents.
How Does the Cause of a Car Accident in OKC Impact Compensation?
Under the state’s comparison negligence insurance laws outlined in Oklahoma §23-13, car accident injury victims may recover a portion of their damages even if they were partly at fault for an accident as long as they are not more than 50% at fault. The law states the following:
“…for negligence resulting in personal injuries or wrongful death, or injury to property, contributory negligence shall not bar a recovery, unless any negligence of the person so injured, damaged or killed, is of greater degree than any negligence of the person, firm or corporation causing such damage, or unless any negligence of the person so injured, damaged or killed, is of greater degree than the combined negligence of any persons, firms or corporations causing such damage.”
For example, if one driver runs a red light and causes a collision, they are mostly at fault for an accident and cannot recover compensation. If the other driver in the collision was speeding at the time of the accident, the insurance company may assign them 20% of the fault. Under the state’s modified comparison negligence laws, they could still recover $80,000 of a compensation claim for $100,000.
How Can an Oklahoma City Car Accident Lawyer Help?
Insurance companies may use tactics against car accident victims to reduce the amount they have to pay out on claims including assigning them an undue percentage of fault or offering low settlements before an injury victim knows the extent of their damages. Contact Dan Davis Law, the Oklahoma City personal injury attorneys who will defend your rights and protect your best interests throughout the process of your claim. Call for a free consultation today.