No matter where in Connecticut your car accident occurred, you may want to see an attorney to determine if you have grounds for a personal injury claim. Most car crashes are the result of negligence on one side or the other, and if you were not at fault, you deserve to be reimbursed for medical bills, lost wages and more.
Perhaps the other driver was using an advanced driver-assistance system, or ADAS, at the time of the crash. This may make the case a little complicated, but the fact is that ADAS is not 100% safe; it has its pros and cons.
The benefits of crash avoidance tech
The primary purpose of ADAS is to prevent crashes. Features like collision warning, blind-spot detection and pedestrian detection will alert the driver to an impending crash, and automatic emergency braking can intervene if the driver is too slow in reacting.
The positive outcomes have been well-documented. LexisNexis Risk Solutions says that vehicles equipped with ADAS see 27% fewer bodily injury claims and 19% fewer property damage claims. The Insurance Institute for Highway Safety, comparing vehicles with blind-spot detection to the same vehicles without it, says that this feature alone lowers the crash involvement rate by 14%.
Complacent drivers and other dangers
Not everyone accepts the benefits of ADAS. Auto insurers are so far unwilling to provide discounts on ADAS vehicles, and many drivers hesitate due to the high cost of installing the cameras and sensors.
Besides that, ADAS features can make mistakes; for instance, the system could apply the brakes after thinking that a car in the next lane is an oncoming vehicle. Worst of all, some drivers become distracted because they think ADAS makes their car autonomous.
Having an attorney by your side
It could be that the other driver in your accident was using the phone or distracted in some other way. If you have a valid case under personal injury law, you may have the attorney take on every aspect of the process, including negotiations. In the meantime, you can focus on recovering from injuries that might have diminished your ability to work.