Drivers in Montana and throughout the United States need to be aware of the potential dangers that they face while driving during the fall season. For instance, roads can become slick when they are covered by rain or leaves that are falling off trees. In addition to making roads slippery, falling leaves can obscure traffic lines and other important markings. If rain and leaves are on the road at the same time, it can feel as if a person is driving on ice.
What to be aware of when driving this fall
Study reveals how effective automatic car safety systems can be
The vast majority of car accidents in Montana and around the country involve some kind of human error. Car manufacturers have introduced a range of features in recent years that are designed to monitor road conditions and step in when drivers become distracted or make mistakes, and a recent study reveals that they can be extremely effective. Researchers from the University of Michigan studied accident reports from 10 states to gauge the effectiveness of safety features like automatic braking systems, blind spot monitors and lane departure warnings, and they discovered that they can cut the number of some kinds of accidents almost in half.
Drowsy driving, an underreported trend
Up to 9.5% of all auto accidents are due to drowsy driving according to a 2018 AAA study. This is a startling departure from government reports in the past, which estimated that between 1% and 2% of crashes are caused by drowsiness. The figure 9.5% is high when Montana residents consider that according to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, drunk driving is to blame for 5% of all crashes.
