One of the simplest rules of the road is that, if you approach a stop sign, you need to bring your car to a complete stop before proceeding. This is one of the first things people learn in driver’s ed, and it is perhaps the most basic rule for all drivers to follow.
Even so, serious car accidents happen every single day when people run stop signs. There are fatalities in these accidents every year, and a lot of people suffer major injuries even when they survive the crashes. So why is it that other drivers break this very simple rule and run the stop signs?
They get distracted
One potential reason is that drivers get distracted. Maybe they’re looking down at the phone or reaching to change the radio station, and they don’t see the stop sign at all.
They are in a rush
In other cases, people are just in a hurry, rushing to get somewhere as quickly as they can. They may intentionally roll through a stop sign without stopping because they feel that it is faster. They could also not see the stop sign until they don’t have time to actually bring their vehicle to a halt if they’re driving well above the speed limit.
They didn’t see other cars
Some drivers will purposely run stop signs simply because they don’t think anyone else is at the intersection at the same time as them. You often find this on rural roads, where drivers will just assume that they don’t have to completely stop because there’s no one to wait for.
No matter why these accidents happen, if you suffer serious injuries when someone else makes a mistake, you may be able to seek financial compensation.