Can Stress Cause Automobile Accidents?
Anyone who has experienced a motor vehicle accident understands how much stress can be caused from dealing with the aftermath of the accident. You must deal with the physical pain and emotional suffering from your injuries in addition to the last wages, medical bills, loss of enjoyment of life, property damage, and other damages associated with the accident. This level of stress is difficult enough without adding pushy, aggressive insurance adjusters hounding you regarding your claim.
Beware Of The Insurance Adjuster
As you are struggling to recover from your injuries, an insurance agent begins to stalk you demanding you provide a statement and/or sign a release. This is one of the reasons you need to hire a New Orleans car accident attorney as soon as possible. An injury lawyer from the Olinde Firm will handle the legal side of your car accident claim while you focus on what is really important, your health. You do not need the added stress of dealing with insurance adjusters, their attorneys, and others regarding the legal elements of settling a NoLA automobile accident case. We will handle that, which means less stress for you.
How Does Stress Cause Automobile Accidents?
Stress can cause a variety of physical and mental problems, especially periods of prolong stress. This is the case whether the stress is good stress (i.e. planning a wedding) or bad stress (i.e. dealing with a difficult boss). According to some reports, stress can cause your hair to stop growing and/or fall out, dermatitis, psoriasis, high blood pressure, sleeping problems, eating disorders, and nervous behaviors such as biting your nails.
Some studies have shown how stress can cause car accidents. Stress impacts your ability to focus and concentrate on the task at hand — driving. Stress can make it more difficult to focus on the traffic ahead and concentrate on obeying traffic signals. According to an executive director of the Governors Highway Safety Association, people tend to drive more aggressively when they are feeling stress or experiencing stress in their lives. The holidays are one of the worst times of year for this to occur because people feel stressed about the holidays and the added traffic on the roads causes additional stress leading that can lead to road rage.
Stress induced aggressive driving can result in speeding, reckless driving, swerving in and out of traffic, slamming on brakes, and other negligent acts that can result in a serious automobile accident.
A recent example of this type of behavior was a woman running over countless pedestrians on the Las Vegas strip. She claimed to be “stressed out” by security guards forcing her to leave parking lots as she tried to sleep in her vehicle. While there is probably more to this story than simply stress, it does seem that stress causes automobile accidents.
Tips for Remaining Calm While Driving
It is impossible to avoid all stress when driving; therefore, it helps to know a few tips help you remain calm and focused when you are behind the wheel of a car.
- Leave early to allow sufficient time to arrive at your destination without feeling stress in case of traffic.
- If you feel yourself become stressed, sing your favorite song.
- When you begin to focus one something that is causing you stress, force yourself to change topics.
- Avoid driving, if possible, immediately after a stressful event.
- Pull over somewhere safe for a break — take deep breaths, walk around, get something to eat or drink.
Have You Been Injured in an Accident Caused by a Stressed Driver?
If you have been the victim of a car accident caused by a stressed driver, call the Olinde Firm 1-800-587-1889 to schedule a free consultation with an experienced New Orleans automobile accident attorney. We will be glad to explain your legal rights to compensation, so that you can make an informed decision moving forward. Get you free consultation today to get started.