An accident involving a tractor trailer, a jeep, and a Saturn on U.S. 52 in Florence, South Carolina (SC) highlights one of the most common contributing factors to a car wreck – the failure to yield the right of way.
This accident occurred when the tractor trailer and Saturn were driving northbound on 52 when the jeep, which was traveling southbound, decided to make a left turn in front of the tractor trailer. The driver of the jeep failed to yield and a crash ensued. Unfortunately, the driver of the Saturn was injured and taken to McLeod Hospital, according to wmbfnews.com.
Nearly 14 percent of all car accident deaths involved a driver’s failure to yield the right of way, according to the National Safety Council . That means over seven thousand people died because a driver failed to allow enough time for on-coming vehicles to drive by before making a turn. In fact, failure to yield the right of way is the second most common violation contributing to a car wreck death.
Right of way accidents occur probably because this law is misunderstood by most drivers. Basically, yielding the right of way is simply letting a car drive by before making a turn at an intersection. This law was established to determine the order of preference of vehicles traveling on our road and highways. Without right of way rules, driving could be a big ‘ol mess with drivers trying to beat each other through an intersection. Unfortunately, given the statistical evidence, it seems we’re still having that problem.
A simple piece of advice – be patient when making a turn. There’s no need to rush the process and put yourself at risk of suffering a serious injury like a broken neck, severed limbs, or traumatic brain injury . If you’re in doubt about whether or not to yield, it’s a safer bet to just yield and let the other drive pass by. Remember, it’s better to be safe than sorry (and injured).