Imagine pulling up at your favorite fast-food eatery and returning with injuries from a car accident. As distressing as it sounds, such occurrences have risen in America for the past decade. Bustling cities like New Jersey are seeing a high rise in car accidents at drive-throughs every year. In fact, according to a report, car accidents have seen a 7.3% rise in the past decade. While most of these incidents are minor fender benders, several more serious collisions can result in severe injury or death.
If you are injured in a fast food drive-through car accident in Hackensack, you should find a car accident attorney near you who’ll help familiarize you with the local laws, navigate the legal formalities and get you a justified remuneration.
That being said, in order to prevent car accidents altogether, it is essential to understand the common causes. So, here’s a detailed guide for you!
Driver Distraction
One of the primary causes of fast food drive-through car accidents is driver distraction. People often become so focused on their orders and conversations with the cashier that they ignore what’s happening around them as they move through the line. This can lead to them not noticing other cars entering or exiting their lane, which can easily result in an accident if they don’t react quickly enough. Additionally, drivers may be distracted by their cell phones or other electronic devices while waiting in line, increasing their chances of being involved in an accident.
Poorly Designed Layouts
Another common cause for fast food drive-through car accidents is poorly designed layouts at certain restaurants. Many times these restaurants will have very tight turns or narrow lanes that make it difficult for drivers to maneuver safely without hitting another vehicle or running into a wall or signpost. Additionally, many restaurants have multiple lines close together, creating confusion and making it difficult for drivers to know which lane they should be occupying at any given time. These factors can contribute to an increased risk of an accident within a restaurant’s drive-through area.
Poor Visibility Conditions
In addition to poor design layouts and driver distraction, another potential cause for fast food drive-through car accidents is poor visibility conditions due to weather or lighting issues within the restaurant’s lot. Rainy days and nights with low light levels can reduce visibility significantly, making it harder for drivers unfamiliar with the layout of a particular restaurant’s lot to navigate safely without causing an accident with another vehicle or object along the way.
Incorrectly Installed Signage
Finally, one more potential cause for fast food drive-through car accidents is incorrectly installed signage within a restaurant’s lot. Signs indicating where people should enter, exit, turn, stop, etc., must be visible so that drivers know exactly what they need to do when navigating around a particular location. If signs are correctly installed, this could lead to clarity among drivers, resulting in them accidentally driving into another lane and causing an accident.
Taking Action To Prevent Fast Food Drive-Through Car Accidents
It is clear from this discussion that there are numerous potential causes behind fast food drive-through car accidents, including driver distraction, poorly designed layouts, poor visibility conditions, and incorrect signage installation. Fortunately, though, steps can be taken by both individual drivers as well as restaurant owners themselves to prevent such occurrences from happening. Drivers should always remain alert and aware when navigating any parking lot environment while refraining from using cell phones to avoid getting distracted by incoming calls/texts, etc. Restaurant owners should also ensure that all signs throughout their lots are visible and correctly installed and that potential hazards, such as tight turns / narrow lanes, etc., are avoided wherever possible throughout their layout design plans.
By understanding some of the most common causes behind fast food drive-through car accidents, we now have greater insight into how best to prevent such occurrences from moving forward– ultimately helping us keep ourselves safe whenever we find ourselves pulling up at our favorite local eatery!
