How dangerous is your commute?

If you have a commute, you’re likely well aware of some of the costs. First and foremost, it costs you a fair amount of time. Some estimates put the average commute at 26.1 minutes in Washington. That’s if you’re using personal transportation, meaning that it also costs you a fair amount in gas.

But what about the risks that you face? If your commute is 26 minutes long, you’re spending nearly an hour driving to and from work every day. Every minute that you spend on the road increases your odds of being involved in an accident. Could this happen to you?

A dangerous time to drive

It certainly could happen to you, and a big part of the reason is that rush hour is simply a dangerous time to drive. Traffic congestion is at an all-time high when everyone is leaving or heading to work. According to some studies, more than 5,000 people tend to lose their lives in rush hour accidents every day.

But rush hour also tends to slow traffic down. This means that you could get involved in a car accident that doesn’t turn fatal, but that certainly leads to serious injuries. Remember that there are always far more injury accidents every year than there are fatal accidents.

So, simply considering the fact that a certain number of people lose their lives doesn’t necessarily mean that rush hour isn’t a risk for you just because you’re not part of that group. You could still suffer serious injuries that change the course of your life.

What options do you have?

If you are hit by another driver and you do suffer severe injuries, then it may be important to start looking into your rights to seek financial compensation for your injuries and expenses.