Minneapolis Motor Vehicle Accidents Law Blog

Minnesota drivers who use safety features like automatic emergency braking and blind-spot monitoring should not over-rely on these features. The AAA Foundation for Traffic Safety has come out with a report that sheds light on this trend, which raises questions about how drivers will be able to adapt to semi-autonomous vehicles in the future. At the root is ignorance of safety tech limitations.

Blind-spot monitoring, for example, is not so effective at detecting fast-approaching cars, bicyclists and pedestrians. Yet 80 percent of drivers in the AAA report overestimate this ability, and 20 percent are so trusting that they never look for oncoming vehicles when changing lanes.

Most Minnesotans are probably aware of the risks of distracted driving. However, a new study shows that distractions are still a major problem for motorists. Auto manufacturer Volvo teamed up with the Harris Poll to gather more information about exactly what is keeping motorists from being more focused on the task of driving safely.

The study, which was conducted by polling two separate groups of 2,000 Americans each, reveals that a majority of respondents identify distracted driving as a substantial hazard affecting highway safety. Ninety percent of those questioned believed there are more distractions behind the wheel now than five years ago. Nearly twice as many people said distracted driving is more troubling to them than people driving under the influence of drugs or alcohol. The next highest perceived threats were speeding and aggressive driving. More than half of those surveyed indicated feeling anxious when too busy. This anxiety accompanies them behind the wheel and can affect roadway safety for all.

Roundabouts can make rural roads and many intersections safer. This is because they prevent serious crashes that could result in injuries or death to drivers and pedestrians. When a Minnesota driver enters a roundabout, the only thing that he or she needs to be concerned about is whether there is another driver already inside of it. With an intersection, a driver may be tempted to time his or her entry, and that timing may not always be correct.

While there are fewer collisions at intersections with traffic lights, those that do occur tend to be more severe. Roundabouts generally do not reduce the number of accidents that occur. However, the accidents that do happen are less significant because vehicles are operating at lower speeds. Vehicles generally have to slow down when approaching a roundabout as well as go slower while inside of it.

Walking across a street in Minnesota has become more dangerous. The Insurance Institute for Highway Safety has reported that fatal pedestrian accidents involving SUVs have spiked by 81 percent over the past 10 years. IIHS researchers noted that the increasing number of SUVs on the road and their designs could at least partially explain the surge in pedestrian deaths.

The IIHS president said that the high front ends and vertical design of SUVs hit people on foot more completely than passenger cars. People cannot roll off vehicles and potentially limit their injuries. At the National Highway Transportation Safety Administration, the widespread use of smartphones by both drivers and pedestrians has come under scrutiny. The agency estimates that about 10 percent of all traffic deaths now arise from distracted driving. Other safety advocates have placed blame on recreational marijuana and malfunctioning traffic signals.