Distracted drivers could be to blame for the rise in lane change collisions, according to Accident Exchange.<\/p>\n
Lane change collisions are on the increase and new research suggests the blame could rest at the feet of distracted drivers.<\/p>\n
A study, undertaken by Accident Exchange, has revealed that incidents involving vehicles being hit or sideswiped by another driver attempting to move into a different lane have increased from 5.53 per cent of all recorded accidents in 2010 to 7.16 per cent in 2014.<\/p>\n
The firm – one of the largest accident management companies in Europe – claims that, in real terms, the increase represents a worrying 29.5 per cent surge in lane change collisions over the last few years.<\/p>\n
Accident Exchange believes the increase could be linked to the rise of smartphones and in-car connectivity – something that many new models offer as standard.<\/p>\n
According to the Department for Transport’s road safety website, THINK!, using a mobile phone while driving reduces a driver’s reaction time by around 50 per cent and quadruples the likelihood of having an accident.<\/p>\n
Liz Fisher, director of sales development at the firm, said: “We have seen steady growth in the number of accidents resulting from errors made when changing lanes. Lane changes demand a driver’s full attention and swift reactions, but too many drivers are diverting their focus from the road and putting themselves – and other road users – at risk.<\/p>\n
“Time spent using a mobile or hastily following instructions from a satnav system can prevent a driver from making the necessary checks before merging into the next lane.”<\/p>\n
Lane change collisions are increasing, despite the advancements being made in crash avoidance technology.<\/p>\n
Several car manufacturers, including Toyota, Volkswagen, Mercedes, Volvo and Nissan, have developed features such as autonomous braking and systems which detect drivers who are at risk of wandering into another lane – yet these type of incidents are becoming more common!<\/p>\n
According to the law, drivers who hit another car when attempting to change lanes are always at fault. However, in terms of insurance, this can be hard to prove unless the motorist who was struck can provide extensive details, such as the names and contact information of impartial witnesses.<\/p>\n
Posted by Fred Mason<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Distracted drivers could be to blame for the rise in lane change collisions, according to Accident Exchange. Lane change collisions are on the increase and new research suggests the blame could rest at the feet of distracted drivers. A study, undertaken by Accident Exchange, has revealed that incidents involving vehicles being hit or sideswiped by […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":5885,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[6],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-2257","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-motoring-issues"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\n