Common Causes Of Car Accidents
Car accidents are a dark and inconvenient truth that we have to live with. Since the very first fatality from a car crash, which happened in 1896, some 25 million people have lost their lives in auto accidents. Since that first crash, roads and cars all over the world have become progressively more safe. However, car accidents are still a very real and dangerous possibility. Here are some of the most common causes for car accidents today.
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First of all, distracted driving. Although this is hard to pin down and analyze as a definite cause, it’s estimated that between 25 and 50 per cent of all car crashes in America are caused by distracted driving. There are countless possible distractions which can cause a driver to have an accident, but patterns have emerged showing us some of the main culprits. Texting at the wheel, unsurprisingly, is one of the major causes for car accidents. Ironically, slowing down to get a good look at another accident has also been found to be a common root cause. Aside from that, being distracted by other passengers and fiddling around with an infotainment system can be very dangerous. If you don’t want to spend a weekend calling accident lawyers, you may want to work on ironing out some of your bad habits.
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Driver fatigue is another major cause of road accidents in the US. Every year, around 100,000 accidents in the country are caused by fatigued drivers according to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. Driving while tired can lead to your eyelids drooping, your speed being very inconsistent, and your vehicle drifting from side to side across road markings. Your mental processing will also be slowed, and you may not be able to react as quickly as you should to some traffic situations. Aside from making sure you’re well-rested before you drive, you should also be making a point to take regular breaks on long drives, and looking into medication that may make you drowsy at the wheel. Most people have driven while tired before, but that’s still no excuse to run the risk!
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Finally, speeding. This is fairly unique as a cause of car accidents. Speeding not only gives you less time to react to what’s happening on the road ahead of you, but also makes the crash far more severe if it does happen. When your speed increases to 60mph from 40, the energy of a crash more than doubles. As I’m sure you know, avoiding speeding is sometimes easier said than done. When you’re on your way to something important and everyone in the fast lane is doing a few miles over the limit, it can feel natural to go with the given “flow”. However, with speed being such a major cause of car crashes and fatalities, I’m sure you can forget about punctuality every now and then. Stick to the posted limits, and you’ll keep yourself and everyone in the car much safer.
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While some accidents are unavoidable, being aware of these causes can keep you much more safe in the long run.
