In your opinion, how many car accidents could be avoided if people simply paid attention to their driving?

About, three.

LOL! About 3 what @rebbel?

I think old and young people should be banned from driving.

I would guess at a high 90%.
Most auto accidents are preventable,problem is people don’t think the problem is never them it’s always the other person.
I have been telling people ,to try and get them to start paying better attention, as a transport driver I will do everything in my power to avoid an accident BUT leave the road, so in the end if that means driving through your vehicle and killing everyone in it, sorry.
THINK ABOUT THAT THE NEXT TIME YOU OR SOMEONE YOU ARE WITH CUTS OFF A TRANSPORT TRUCK,and I am not yelling at anyone particular just everyone in general.

My guess would be the same @SQUEEKY2.

I would guess almost all of them.

Many, but there are practical limits to how much absolute attention people can pay all the time. Decisions and state of mind also play major roles.

Oh sure. I mean, I’m guilty of letting my attention lapse for a second, then being shocked back to life. It happens especially after about 5 hours straight on the road. I rather agree with Raggy about not letting old people drive. One time my mother stopped dead on the highway, just like that because she’d missed her exit. She couldn’t understand why I came unglued! It wasn’t long after that we took her license.

Actually, the question was prompted by this video.

@Dutchess_III I had a guy come to an almost dead stop down in the lower mainland on the freeway ,pointing to an exit with his wife,who was freaking out because I was coming up on them at 60mph, I couldn’t do anything but stand on the brakes the passing lane was full of vehicles at the time.
They pulled off just in time, on a freeway full of vehicles going 60mph,think it’s a good idea to just stop in your lane and wonder if you should take the exit?
I am actually surprised as a human race we have survived this long.

Me too, @SQUEEKY2. Me too. I have seen some of the most incredibly stupid shit while driving, but not as much as you have, no doubt.
My daughter was going to a town that was just on the other side of an exit to I35. The guy in front of her took the exit….but the guy in front of HIM, had stopped, because he missed the exit, and was backing up. My daughter hit him. I wish tell he I’d known about accident lawyers back then.

SEE,I just watched your video and other than standing on the brakes I would have driven straight through them.
I don’t swerve an 83foot two trailer semi for anything,and I do mean anything.

BUT most people continue to think they are the worlds best driver, we all make mistakes, a good driver learns from their mistakes and doesn’t repeat them bad drivers just keep making them over ,and over and over, sorta like republicans.

I sure learned from the two wrecks I got in that were my fault!

1) DON’T LISTEN TO THE FUCKING PASSENGER IF SHE TELLS YOU TO DO SOMETHING SUDDENLY! (I was 16 at the time.)

2) Just because someone has their blinker on it doesn’t really mean they’re going to turn. SMH

I don’t trust blinkers, seen them misused all the time.

I was 23 or so at the time. When I taught my kids to drive that was something I drilled into their heads: 1) if a person has their blinker on wait to be sure they are really going to turn. 2) If you hit your blinker to turn, then change your mind and turn it off, expect the person at the intersection to react to your original blinker, not the fact that you turned it off, and proceed with caution in case they go ahead and pull out.

You should adopt this theory, expect EVERYONE around you to do something stupid,it will keep you paying attention,and you know the sad part,they have never let me down they always end up doing something stupid.

Exactly. And keep as much space around you and other drivers as you can. People don’t seem to realize that they really can be in control of their own little bubble and it’s a whole lot safer than being at the mercy of some fool in front of you who doesn’t know what he’s doing.

Half of the auto accidents are caused by Driving While Under the Influence, the other half by inattention. So 100%

Noticed where very few even bothered with this question,eh it has nothing to do with me, I am an excellent driver,now excuse me I have to check my emails, and text a few messages.
Oh and get in front of this annoying semi,to only realize I don’t want to drive this fast then slow down and proceed to drive 10mph slower than the semi was traveling,then get pissed off because that semi right on my ass is being so damn pushy.

I laugh when they’re called accidents, not true, always at least one party at fault.

I’ll say 66%
A few years ago it was reported that about 25% of drivers coming at you on the road are legally impaired. With mobile phones that number has to have increased by a bunch.

I don’t have an opinion as to percentage because, well, I’m laughing at those who do. Statistics tell us that many accidents happen due to inattention. Not just car accidents….home accidents, farm accidents, surgical/medical accidents, etc. This is why people are insured, and often over-insured. It’s the way of our country. Get insurance to protect yourself from the lawsuit that will follow your stupidity and negligence.

The smart ones have the insurance AND really try to pay attention to what they are doing.

As far as accidents, probably a lot would be avoided. Fatalities ate different. Those happen most frequently on small rural roads. Many are single car accidents. A lot can be assumed about people swerving to not hit an animal, or that poor rural road conditions can cause drivers to lose control. Plus, people often drive faster on rural roads, increasing the chances of death, in case of a mistake.

I agree that “accident” isn’t quite the right word for most wrecks. To me, an accident is something you can’t prevent. But there are a few that could be actual accidents; Mechanical failure of the car or medical issue of the driver.

@MrGrimm888 rural roads not a factor where I live.
One of the local volunteer fire departments calculated their expenses for last year at over 85 % for accidents on the Interstate that goes though our county. there is only one stretch (less than three miles) of of county roads that has more than two lanes. The Interstate in their jurisdiction is less than six miles.. The total expenses included all house and structure fires too.

I don’t know that most wrecks are rural. What makes you say that @MrGrimm888?

There is one wreck that haunts me almost daily. The 13 year old granddaughter of a former classmate was with a brother and sister and some friends. The friend’s mom was driving these 5 kids on an interstate in Oklahoma, in an SUV. She slammed into the back of a stopped semi at 75 mph, never even hit the brakes…..she was texting.
Only my friend’s granddaughter and one other child lived. The granddaughter is learning to walk and talk and feed herself again. She is STILL in the hospital. It was a year ago July. Of course, the driver didn’t do it deliberately, but “accident” still doesn’t seem to be the right word for such an easily avoidable tragedy.

@ucme @Dutchess_III But the word “accident” includes things that could’ve been avoided, or were due to negligence. “Accident” just means an unintented (or unforeseen, unplanned, unnecessary) mishap. It doesn’t imply being above any particular standard of attention or competence.

https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/accident

Well, I agree except arguments from others claims that “accident” includes “lack of intention….” The women didn’t intend to kill her self and 3 kids, so, according to others, it qualifies as an accident.

However, In reality I agree with you @Zaku. It was brain dead stupidity that caused the “accident.”

Dutch. I said most “fatalities,” are…

People are expected to pay attention when at work,so why is it so hard to pay attention while driving?

Why do you think most fatalities are in rural areas @MrGrimm888 I think that’s what we were talking about.

I will guess @Dutchess_III those roads are less patrolled by the police,so people thing they have a less chance at getting caught for speeding or drinking and driving.
Those roads are less maintained ,with less signage so more likely to get into trouble there as well.

Hm. Well. I can’t say I’ve ever come upon a wreck out in the country, but I’ve come across a lot on the highways.

That I do agree^^ some of the dumbest stunts I have ever seen have been on major highways and freeways.

People are insane.

This is stuff I see all the time….
Merging onto a busy freeway at less than half the speed the freeway is moving.
Coming down the on ramp stopping and turn around and drive back up the on ramp.
Like your video stopping in your lane to decide if that is the exit you need.
Both sides of the highway coming to a stop over an accident that is well off the road with plenty of first responders attending,WHY? of course slow down obey any first responders BUT keep going your idiot need for a look is backing up traffic for miles.

For reasons SQUEEKY suggested. Deer are a big problem too.

Sorry @MrGrimm888 wild animals and live stock should have been on that list as well.

I wish people would pay as much attention to their driving, as they do to other peoples spelling and punctuation mistakes.
People for the most part sure are anal about grammar mistakes, but seem to not care about driving that can get a person hurt or killed,WHY???

I bet I’m the only person in Kansas who hasn’t hit a deer Knock on wood.

Rick has hit several. Almost ran into a cow once, but I didn’t.

In the last five or so years I have clobbered 5 deer,and a moose, the moose didn’t do any damage and only 2 deer caused damage, but ya don’t swerve an 83 foot two trailer transport truck for anything.

Right? Rick and I were driving at night, on a 2 lane highway. We both saw the deer in the headlights at the same instant. Thank God Rick was driving because my reaction was to drop my head between my knees and interlace by fingers on the back on my neck! (My tornado training went into effect!)
Rick jinked. I kept waiting for an impact that never came…..
Yeah. A semi can’t jink. I hear the best thing to do is…nothing. Drive straight into it. I have heard that it’s the swerving that causes wrecks, but IDK.

I had to wait in a line up of traffic because a transport like the one I drive swerved to miss a deer, upside down over a bank wrecked both the truck and trailers and banged up the driver pretty good, ANY boss would rather deal with some broken fibreglass on the engine hood than have to write off a whole unit and deal with a hurt driver.

I can imagine..but it has to be an instinct! Maybe they should find some virtual reality driving thing to teach them how to respond.

I won’t leave the road for anything,I will do everything in my power to avoid an accident except leave the road,and in the end if that means driving through what is in front of me,sorry.

Yep. I taught my kids to NEVER freak out while driving. I said “I don’t care if a tarantula drops from the ceiling and on to your lap. You get that car parked and stopped and THEN freak out.” Never forget you are driving.

But what you should tell your children and friends @Dutchess_III most truckers are trained that way, and while our units have super great brakes it takes a lot to stop 60.5 metric tons in a panic .
Also if for any reason, traffic,accident,construction,if you have to suddenly slow down or stop in the middle of the road get your flashers going until traffic backs up behind you,it gives everyone not just truckers a couple of extra seconds to realize traffic isn’t moving and gives them that much more time to react.

I really can’t believe this just happened to us, not 30 minutes ago! We were on a 4 lane, 65 mph. Trucker in the right lane, we were gradually catching up to pass. Suddenly…he jinked! I kid you now! He jinked! Of course Rick hit the breaks and we fell back and suddenly we saw the problem….some crap, a cage or something, and a bunch of other crap not worth dying for, had fallen out of a truck or a trailer or something, and was all over that side of the road. What was worse is that there was a brain dead human in the road trying to pick the shit up! That’s why the semi jinked.
Of course, Rick’s all cussing at the trucker. I said, “At least he had a good reason!”
He said, “I can’t believe he couldn’t see all that until he was right on top of it….”
I guess he had a point, but we didn’t see it either, although our vantage point wasn’t as good.