Learning From 2012’s Celebrity Car Accidents

The website PropertyCasualty360 recently put together a list of seven celebrity car accidents that occurred in the year of 2012. There are many lessons to be learned from these occurrences, which will be touched upon here. Some lessons may seem obvious, but all must be repeated to keep them in drivers’ minds.

Mayim Bialik of “The Big Bang Theory” fame almost lost a finger in an August crash when her automobile collided with another vehicle that was trying to make a left turn. In October, rapper Sean “Diddy” Combs’s Cadillac suffered great damage when it rammed into another car turning left in front of the Cadillac. As one can see, left turns are very risky. While the driver making a left turn is normally found to be at fault for a resulting car accident, drivers will still take this risk, so caution must be taken in any situation. Even when a driver is not making a left turn, other cars might be turning left into oncoming traffic.

In January of 2012, actor Gene Hackman was driving in the Florida Keys when another car crashed into his. This seems relatively uneventful, especially due to the fact that Hackman suffered few injuries, but it shows that anything can happen when driving, so one must be careful.

In November, Bobbi Kristina Brown, daughter of Whitney Houston and Bobby Brown, was reportedly speeding when she drove into several trees in an embankment. She was issued a citation of “failure to maintain lane.” The citation “failure to maintain lane” means that a driver’s tires have crossed a lane divider. The lesson here is that one must make sure that every bit of a car is comfortably in one lane. Otherwise, there are many dangers, not only resulting from traffic citations but also in the realm of the street itself. If a car is not completely in one lane, it is easier for other cars to crash into it.

Rapper Wiz Khalifa crashed his 1969 Chevrolet Chevelle into the vehicle of a woman who had been working on a video shoot with him in September. He allegedly left the scene immediately, and the Los Angeles Police Department launched an investigation soon after the accident with no formal resolution being reached as of now. When two drivers are involved in an accident, both drivers must take responsibility—no one can immediately leave in order to lay the blame on someone else. The driver that departs will automatically be at fault for obvious reasons.

Actress Lindsay Lohan is facing three charges resulting from a June accident, these charges being lying to an officer, resisting that officer in the performance of his or her duty, and reckless driving. She had crashed into an 18-wheeler in California. Officers have the ultimate authority when judging what happened in a car accident, and they will know when a driver has lied. Therefore, giving false information to a police officer is not only wrong, but futile.

Throughout 2012, actress Amanda Bynes has faced many charges related to car accidents, including driving on a suspended license, being involved in two hit-and-run incidents, and driving under the influence of drugs and alcohol. These are all serious offenses for obvious reasons, and since Bynes is a celebrity, she is now gaining a horrible reputation for things inside and outside the driving realm due to these incidents. Whether a driver is a celebrity or not, they will be affected by a bad driving record; it is said that a good record will not earn you rewards, but a bad record will keep you away from them.

Paying attention to celebrity news is not only good for gossip—it can also teach very good lessons. While these particular lessons may seem evident already, it is obvious that some people have not fully learned them. One must be cautious.