Holiday Season Complicates Automobile Travel
As the holiday season approaches, drivers should be wary that this time of year presents extra complications in the areas of interstate and highway travel as people traverse the country to visit loved ones. Holiday travel greatly increases the volume of cars on the road, meaning negligent driving has a greater likelihood of causing accidents. There are several common holiday driving activities that drivers should be aware of that could be found to constitute negligence in the event such behavior causes a Tennessee auto accident.
Many drivers will have the car loaded down with gifts, luggage, or other items that could possibly obstruct their vision. Driving with obstructed vision can be considered negligence by a jury if the obstruction was significant and was the cause of an accident from which injuries or damages resulted. Drivers should make sure that their vision is not obstructed by any items inside or on the outside of the car, even if the obstruction is just a partial one, in order to avoid liability in the event of an accident caused by obstructed vision.
The holidays are also a stressful time as people hustle back and forth to meet family commitments. This added stress can increase the likelihood of aggressive or retaliatory driving, both of which can give rise to liability for negligence if such driving causes an accident. Behavior such as cutting someone off, tailgating the car in front of you, running red lights, and so on can be provoked by the pressures of trying to get from place to place during this time. However, such behavior is not the behavior of a reasonably prudent driver and can constitute negligence.
Speeding is also a common source of negligence around the holiday season. Some families have several commitments to keep at several different places, possibly on the same day. This leads them to try to get from one place to the next as fast as possible. While speeding is not automatically negligent, driving at an unreasonable rate of speed given the circumstances can constitute negligence if it contributes to an auto accident.
Negligent driving can lead to the party at fault being liable for a large amount of damages if serious injuries result from the collision. During times of heavy traffic and a greater possibility of erratic driving, prudent drivers need to take extra care to avoid accidents. This includes driving more slowly through congested areas, driving defensively where traffic is heavy, and keeping the car clear of obstacles, both inside and out.
