Lane departure accidents are one of the most deadly types of car accidents. The U.S. Federal Highway Administration reports that lane departure accidents account for more than half (51 percent) of all fatal crashes.

Lane departure accidents occur when a vehicle leaves his or her lane, either moving into another lane or off the roadway itself.

A lane departure accident can happen for any number of reasons, including distracted driving, drowsy driving, and drunk driving. Distracted drivers, who are looking at their phone instead of the road, may drift outside of their lane. Drivers who are tired may fall asleep at the wheel and move from their lane. Drunk drivers, whose driving ability is impaired by alcohol, may not be able to keep their car in their lane.

Lane departure accidents are sometimes not the fault of the driver. For example, a car whose tire blows out may cause the driver to lose control and leave his or her lane.

Whatever the cause of the lane departure, the results can be catastrophic. The car that drifts to the right and off the road may crash into a bicyclist or an obstruction such as a tree or telephone pole. If the car drifts to the left, it may cause a head-on collision with another car.

Safety advocates and automakers have been working to prevent this type of crash. Most recently, automakers have rolled out lane departure warning systems into luxury car models. These systems promise to alert the driver if he or she is drifting from his or her lane. Unfortunately, research from the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety has found that lane departure systems do nothing to reduce the number of crashes. In fact, the study found that cars with lane departure systems actually had an increased number of crashes, which is why drivers shouldn’t rely on lane departure systems to keep them from causing an accident.

Because lane departure can result in all kinds of accidents—from single-car accidents to head-on collisions—the resulting injuries can run the gamut from minor to serious.

If you have been injured in a car accident caused by another driver’s lane departure, you have options. Call the experienced and dedicated Huntsville car accident lawyers at Martinson & Beason, P.C. to get your questions answered. The consultation is free and confidential.

Our firm handles personal injury cases on a contingency fee basis, meaning that we don’t charge you unless we get you compensation.