Residents of Seattle and the rest of Washington have been eagerly anticipating the end of the ongoing health crisis. Now that the end appears to be clearly in sight, many people have been wondering about how the pandemic may have changed our behaviors. One area that appears to be experiencing a profound modification is our driving habits, more specifically, the speeds at which we drive. A recent accident on Interstate Highway 5 near Seattle has only underscored what experts are identifying as a dangerous trend.
The accident
The pile-up began when two cars struck and killed a pedestrian. The traffic backup then snared three semi-trailer trucks. Police have not released information on any further injured persons, but traffic experts are pointing to the accident as evidence that speeds on Washington’s roads are increasing and consequently, so are devastating accidents.
The recent pile-up on I-5 demonstrates how such accidents have become more serious. First, two or three vehicles collide and come to a stop. The cars behind them then begin to slow down and stop. As they do, larger vehicles, such as the three semis involved in the I-5 collision, crash onto cars or other vehicles back in the line of stalled cars. The heavier weight of these trucks has two consequences:
- The trucks’ greater speeds make it harder for them to stop quickly; and
- The trucks’ greater mass and speed means more serious consequences for vehicles and their passengers when the big-rigs plow in to the back of the jam.
Fewer drivers; greater speeds
Experts familiar with patterns of automobile traffic in Seattle say that average speeds have increased by about 15% over 2019. The increased speeds then cause more accidents that have more damaging consequences.
Few facts are known about the cause of the I-5 crash but the standard of careful driving in Washington requires trucks, even big ones, to travel at safe speeds. Anyone who has been injured or lost a loved one in a similar accident may be considering bringing a claim for damages. The advice of an experienced personal injury lawyer can be very helpful by evaluating the evidence, suggesting potential legal arguments to support the claim and providing an estimate of the likelihood of recovering damages.
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