CAR ACCIDENT LAWYER MINNEAPOLIS MINNESOTA-Rear End Collisions

MINNEAPOLIS CAR ACCIDENT LAWYERS want you to know that REAR END COLLISIONS are the #1 cause of car accidents and the personal injuries that result.

The CAR ACCIDENT LAWYERS MINNEAPOLIS MINNESOTA have over 70 years experience in successfully representing the victims of car accidents, involving collisions with other cars, trucks, motorcycles, bicycles, and pedestrians.  The large majority of the injury claims handled by the Schmidt Salita Law Firm involve car accidents.  A large majority of that group involve rear end collision.

TAILGATING IS THE CAUSE OF MOST REAR END COLLISIONS.

More than 50% of drivers on Minneapolis freeways do not maintain a proper distance between their car and the car ahead.  They simply would not be able to stop if the car ahead were to brake hard.  A rear end collision is likely to happen if that occurs.

The math is simple.  Cars traveling 70 miles per hour are going 102.7 feet per second.  A typical driver’s reaction time is approximately 1 second if they are alert.  Many drivers are partially or significantly distracted by many other things, including cell phones, tuning the radio, paying attention to passengers, thinking about other things than driving. In that 1 second, their car travels 102.7 feet!!! That is 7 car lengths!!! Very few freeway drivers maintain a 7 car length distance from the vehicle ahead!!!

It takes a typical car anywhere from 240 to 370 feet to stop from 60 mph.  Water, ice or snow on the roadway can dramatically increase the stopping distance.  Stopping distances on wet roads are generally twice that of dry pavement.   Ice and snow can be even worse.

Balding tires and wet brakes can increased the stopping distance as well.

REAR END COLLISIONS CAUSE WHIPLASH INJURIES OF THE NECK AND BACK.

Rear end collisions produce an acceleration/deceleration force to the neck and brain, causing whiplash injuries of the neck which involved injury to the muscles, ligaments, nerves and intervertebral discs.  A rear end collision forces the head and neck backward into the seat back and head rest, followed by a “rebound” forward into the steering wheel.

REAR END COLLISIONS ALSO CAUSE WHIPLASH INJURIES OF THE BRAIN CALLED CONCUSSIONS.

They also produce “whiplash injuries of the brain“, namely concussions.  A concussion is by definition a traumatic brain injury.  Many concussions occur as the result of the “whiplash” of the brain formally called a “coup/contra coup” force in which the brain occurs as the brain impacts against the hard surface of the inside of the skull.

TECHNIQUES TO AVOID REAR END COLLISIONS.

MINNEAPOLIS CAR ACCIDENT LAWYERS offer suggestions of techniques to avoid rear end collisions.  Rear end collisions cannot be completely avoided.  They can only be minimized with the following techniques:

1. Tailgating is following another car too closely. If someone is following you too closely, be careful. Tap your brake lightly a few times to warn the tailgater that you are slowing down. Brake slowly before stopping. Avoid tailgaters when possible by changing lanes. If you cannot change lanes, slow down enough to encourage the tailgater to go around you. If this does not work, pull off the road when safe and let the tailgater pass.
2. When you are coming to a stop, slow down well ahead of the ultimate stopping spot watching to see that the car behind is under control and slowing down along with you.  You can then creep slowly to the final stop.  By doing that, you create a proper stopping distance even when the trailing car doesn’t!!!

TAILGATING IS A BIGGER PROBLEM ON BAD ROADS.

Tailgating is a problem on good roads.  It is a potentially huge problem on wet or snow covered roads.  The stopping distances are significantly increased on wet roads.  They are hugely increased on roadways covered with ice and snow.  The increased stopping distances magnify the problems associated with tailgating, making it even more difficult to stop to avoid collision when the distance separating a car from the one behind.

MINNEAPOLIS CAR ACCIDENT LAWYERS ARE EXPERIENCED IN BRINGING JUSTICE TO THE VICTIMS OF INJURY FROM CAR ACCIDENTS.

The MINNEAPOLIS CAR ACCIDENT LAWYERS have, collectively, 70 years experience in bringing justice to the victims of personal injury and wrongful death from ca accidents involving other cars, trucks, buses, motorcycles, bicycles and pedestrians.

They have an outstanding track record of successful results in neck and back injuries, concussions, traumatic brain injuries, hip injuries, shoulder injuries, knee injuries, eye injuries, and abdominal injuries.

They have successfully handled nearly 100 wrongful death cases, many from car accident collisions.