Road crashes happen. Some of the people involved in them are lucky enough to only get away with minor injuries. There are even those who are luckier to have only their car damaged. But there are those who are not as fortunate. They suffer from serious fractures. Some will have to suffer from a handicap for life. Some perish.
Given the dire consequences of crashes, it will surely be disheartening to know that many of the documented road mishaps are caused by factors that are well within the control of the drivers. Unfortunately, this is exactly what years of social psychological research on driver behavior has uncovered. We break down in this article some of the most important points.
Drivers who violate traffic rules show disrespect for rules in other areas
It’s very unfortunate that there are really people who consider following rules to be a hassle. These individuals tend to have it their way in different areas of life including (but surely not limited to) driving. This is problematic because rules are instituted primarily to control and coordinate the actions of many individuals.
If one breaks away from the rules, the envisioned harmony will be disrupted. But deliberate violators think less about being attuned to others, especially since they also have the tendency to think of themselves as better than others. Surely, they are difficult individuals to be with.
Traffic violators tend to have the tendency to misperceive some cues
Alcohol consumption has long been linked to crashes. There has been a lot of interventions made to inform the public about the effects of alcohol ingestion and to dissuade individuals from drinking before driving. Yet, the problem persists. Why? This is probably because some people are overconfident as to how much alcohol they can tolerate. After they’ve drank a lot, they still convince themselves and others that theyl can drive.
Errant drivers think highly of themselves
Overconfidence leads to trouble, and this is especially true on the road. When overconfidence kicks in, a driver might think that they can just go full speed, make quick turns, and get away unscathed. Such risky moves endanger not only the driver but also the pedestrians and other drivers that they share the road with.
Those who violate traffic rules tend to believe that others are also doing so
The willingness to violate traffic rules, or rules in general, possibly stems from a belief that others are also engaging in such a problematic act. This belief wrongly removes responsibility and accountability from the individual and transfers it to the group or community that the individual operates in. This is called false consensus in social psychology, and it appears to be very hard to shake off in spite of the many efforts to reduce it.
If ever you are involved in an accident on the road, and it’s clear to you that the other driver is at fault, never hesitate to call a good accident lawyer in Houston such as Michael Fleming. Car accident attorneys are skilled enough to convincingly establish culpability based only on testimonies and physical evidence such as marks on the road and the positions of the car.
