When spotting wrecks on the road, it is natural to wonder about what caused them. According to information recently compiled by the Auto Insurance Center, most fatal accidents are the result of fairly common behaviors and mistakes. The group gathered data made available by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration to find the reasons for these accidents that took place in Louisiana and other states between the years of 2009 and 2013.
In fatal car accidents where either a pedestrian, passenger or driver was killed in Louisiana, the most frequent cause was operating without required equipment. Louisiana was the only state with this as the deadliest behavior, and failure to stay in a lane and failing to yield the right of way were problems in the most states. In many other states, reckless driving or improper turns were the leading causes.
When compiling the five most dangerous states for certain types of behaviors, Louisiana ranked as the fourth deadliest state for careless or reckless driving. While what constituted driving recklessly or carelessly was not specified, this might include texting and driving, driving without the required equipment or disregarding traffic laws. Certain states may have ranked high in some categories because of rural areas where law enforcement has too much territory to cover to properly enforce safe driving.
Regardless of the cause of a fatal car accident, the surviving family members are often faced with immediate expenses such as the funeral and burial costs as well as long-term financial consequences resulting from the loss of the support that the decedent had been providing. In cases where such an accident was caused by the negligence of another driver, an attorney might determine that the filing of a wrongful death lawsuit is an appropriate method of recourse for the survivors.