If you need an injury attorney Ohio can be a tough place to be. As an attorney Ohio personal injury cases of great concern to this firm. We have watched the changes in road safety and road accident patterns with interest There are two major factors at play on the roads of America right now. The first is that cars have never been safer. The other is that drivers have never been paying less attention to the road. Our digital age has caused many of us to become distracted drivers. It does not really matter that many people use “hands-free devices,” they are not paying attention to the road like people did in the past. This does not make them bad people, but it does make them bad drivers. Fortunately, most people are at least vaguely aware that they are not driving their best, so they drive more slowly. The far right lanes of major highways were once filled with old people and malfunctioning cars, but now they are filled with teenagers texting and driving 45 miles per hour.

 

This indubitably affects automobile accident rates. Although safety features make it much less common for the driver to be seriously injured, there are many other types of damage caused by accidents. Modern cars are designed to crumple in an accident, because this is the best way to protect the passengers. This is extremely effective, but extremely expensive. It is worth it to save the life of the passenger, but it does mean that the cost of the repair is greater. Distracted drivers also have more purely negligent accidents and pedestrian/automobile accidents. Collisions between bicycles and cars are on the rise nationwide, and at this point it would be prudent advice to tell a bicyclist to never, ever cross in front of a car until they make eye contact with the driver and are sure they see them. This is especially essential when the driver is on the phone. All these accidents are increasing insurance costs. Moreover, the things that cars run into tend cost more. A modern fence costs more than a fence did fifty years ago, so the insurance payout will be more. All these things drive rates up. Insurance is a very mathematical industry and they have to bring in more money to cover their higher payments.