In China where roads can be so dangerous a driver is killed every five minutes, a doctor is pioneering a new approach in which bad driving is treated like a disease.
“Jin Huiqing has spent nearly three decades trying to figure out why some motorists seem more accident prone than others,” the Associated Press reported.
The doctor has pored through the grim records of thousands of Chinese taxi, van and bus drivers, and carried out neurological tests. He has looked at blood samples. Last year, he began trying to find gene markers for bad drivers. “Jin tries to target the root cause of crashes by identifying the physical or psychological traits of poor drivers, such as risk-taking or poor response time under stress, and keeping them off the streets or ensuring they get adequate training,” according to the AP.
One Chinese municipality, the city of Jinan, reports a fall in fatalities after adopting the doctor’s techniques. Still, it remains to be seen if such methods could have results in the west. While our roads may not be as dangerous as those in China, our experienced Virginia (VA) accident injury attorneys normally report on a number of fatalities and injuries every week.
Bad driving in the form of speeding, getting distracted or making mistakes such as not yielding ri of way is usually to blame for most traffic accidents. Earlier this month, for instance, my colleague Richard Shapiro noted how 12 children on a summer camp outing in Richmond, Virginia (VA), were injured when an inexperienced and careless driver ran a red light.
Ddriving can sometimes be so bad, it’s hard to believe. In 2009, we reported on how a car accident on Highway 321 in Hickory, North Carolina (NC), led to one fatality, two serious injuries, and a highway closure. The elderly driver in this North Carolina accident had been driving north in the southbound lane and occupying two lanes.
Given the seriousness of some of the bad driving we see on our roads, it may appear more like an epidemic than a disease and it’s doubtful if the Chinese approach can make much difference, although I always welcome research and new methods that address the issue.
If you are a victim of a bad driver, our Virginia personal injury attorneys are on hand to take on your case and advise you how to get the best results in court.
DM
About the Editors: The Shapiro, Cooper, Lewis & Appleton personal injury law firm, which has offices in Virginia (VA) and North Carolina (NC), edits the injury law blogs Virginia Beach Injuryboard, Norfolk Injuryboard and Northeast North Carolina Injuryboard as pro bono services.
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