There many things that could influence your risk of being in a car accident in Homestead or your community. For example, newer drivers, older drivers, and drivers with serious medical conditions may have an increased chance of being in a car accident. Your ability to drive and your ability to focus on driving can have a big impact on how safe you are behind the wheel. Of course, your sobriety also has an impact. But could your job also play a role?
According to a new research report by Moneysupermarket.com, the answer may be yes. The website analyzed more than 2 million insurance claims and found that healthcare-related professions have a higher rate of car accidents than other workers. In fact, according to the analysis, general practitioners and surgeons had the highest rates of car accidents among all professions. Of the top 10 professions for insurance claims, nine were health-related. Probation officers were the only exception, coming in at number seven when it came to the number of car crash claims by occupation. In contrast, office workers have the lowest rates of car crash claims. Fair employees and car wash attendants also had low rates of car accident claims.
Why might healthcare workers have higher rates of car accidents? Part of the reason may have to do with the realities of the job. For example, healthcare workers may be more subject to:
- Distraction and stress. Surgeons and general practitioners take on a great deal of work and often deal with emotionally difficult cases, such as patients who are facing chronic illnesses or life-threatening ailments. Obviously, this can be distracting and stressful, meaning that surgeons may be thinking about their heavy workloads or general practitioners may be thinking about difficult cases all the time, even when driving. Distracted driving in Homestead and other communities has been shown to cause car accidents, so it only makes sense that employees with high stress jobs are more at risk.
- Hurrying. With healthcare employees, lives may literally be on the line when workers had for work. This may mean that general practitioners and other healthcare employees may feel the need to rush in order to make it to the hospital or clinic in time to deal with an emergency. Obviously, speeding plays an important role in many types of collisions.
- Shift work and fatigue. Studies have proven that shift work can contribute to car accidents by causing fatigued driving. In fact, previous studies have shown that medical interns and other healthcare professionals who work very long hours and night shifts are more prone to car accidents than other employees. Healthcare workers often work not only very long and stressful hours, they may have to work during odd hours –such as a night shift at the emergency room – which can increase their chances of a collision.
Are you at risk for a car collision due to your job? Have you been injured while driving on the job? In addition to workers’ compensation benefits in Homestead or your community, you may have other options for pursuing compensation. Contact the full-service law firm of Flaxman Law Group to find out more. Your first consultation with us is free and comes with no obligation, so get the facts about your situation today.