Undoubtedly, distracted driving is the number one cause of car accidents. A distracted driver doesn't have their full attention on the road and may be paying more attention to a mobile device, passengers, or even a cheeseburger. Being in a car accident can result in several unintended consequences, including permanent injury, loss of income, and so on. Why not do everything you can to avoid a car accident in the first place? Here at our San Diego personal injury law offices, we would like to help you understand the main causes of car accidents and, therefore, help you learn preventive measures for car accidents on the road.
While some of these causes of car accidents may seem obvious and redundant to experienced drivers, this list aims to educate drivers of all levels, from the newly licensed teen driver to the senior driver with 40 years of driving experience. The number one cause of car accidents is not a criminal who drove drunk, accelerated, or ran a red light. Distracted Drivers Are the Leading Cause of Car Accidents in the U.S. UU.
A distracted driver is a motorist who takes his attention away from the road, usually to talk on a mobile phone, send a text message, or eat. Learn more about how distracted driving causes accidents Have you seen them on the road. Many drivers ignore the speed limit and drive 10, 20, and sometimes 30 mph over the limit. Speed kills, and traveling over the speed limit is an easy way to cause a car accident.
The faster you drive, the slower your reaction time will be if you need to avoid a car accident. Learn more about how speeding causes accidents When you drink, you lose the ability to concentrate and function properly, and it's very dangerous when you drive a vehicle. Driving under the influence of alcohol causes car accidents every day, even when they are one of the main causes that can be avoided. Always use a designated driver if you go out drinking.
Learn more about how drunk driving causes accidents If you don't drive carefully and you can end up in an unnecessary car accident. That's what often happens to reckless drivers who accelerate, change lanes too quickly, or fall behind before causing a car accident. Reckless drivers are often impatient in traffic, so be sure to be especially careful with aggressive drivers. Learn more about how reckless driving causes accidents If the weather worsens, so do roads.
Car accidents happen very often in the rain because water creates slippery and dangerous surfaces for cars, trucks and motorcycles and often causes cars to spin out of control or skid while braking. To avoid a car accident, drive very carefully when it rains. Learn more about how rain causes accidents When you drive your car, red means stopping and not doing so usually causes car accidents. Drivers who run red lights are at risk of wrongful death because they often cause side-impact collisions at high speeds.
To avoid a car accident, look for cars that are approaching both ways when you approach a green light. Stop signs should never be ignored, but when they are, serious car accidents often result. Every year, thousands of car accidents occur because a driver passed a stop sign. Many rollover accidents and side-impact car accidents are the result of drivers passing stop signs.
You should always look both ways when passing a stop sign. Youth is wasted on young people, but careful driving is never wasted on young drivers. Unfortunately, teens aren't usually known for their care. When teenage drivers hit the road, they don't always know what to do and that lack of experience ends up causing car accidents.
Learn more about how teen drivers cause car accidents Driving in daylight can be dangerous, but driving at night almost doubles the risk of a car accident happening. When you can't see what's ahead, you don't know what to anticipate as you drive toward it. As the sun goes down, your awareness of the road and the cars around you should increase. Learn more about how night driving is one of the leading causes of accidents No product is manufactured to perfection and cars are no different.
Cars have hundreds of parts, and any of those defective parts can cause a serious car accident. Many automakers have had problems with design flaws in the past, including Ford Explorer rollover accidents and Toyota unintentional acceleration crashes. Learn More About How Design Defects Cause Car Accidents There will always come a time when you need to move to another lane (i.e. Get off a highway, take the right lane to turn, etc.
When drivers don't make safe lane changes properly, a car accident often occurs. To avoid an unnecessary car accident, use the turn signal, check for blind spots and always move carefully to the next lane. Learn more about how unsafe lane changes cause car accidents We all have errors of judgment, but when behind the wheel of a car, those clouded instincts can be deadly. You can turn a street thinking it's a normal turn to the right, when in fact it's a one-way street in the opposite direction.
When you're going down the wrong path, everyone is in danger because when you're heading into a car accident. More on Rearward Driving Car Accidents The reason we have traffic lights, turn signals and lanes designated to move right or left instead of in a straight line is because when drivers ignore the rules of the road, car accidents are often the result. To avoid a car accident, always look for signs and obey the right of way before turning. More About Car Accidents Caused by Incorrect Turns Many drivers are impatient and reckless, driving so close to another car that they cannot react in time if the car in front of them suddenly brakes.
Many fatal car accidents have occurred when a motorist dangerously followed another driver at high speeds. You can prevent these car accidents by giving the car in front of you a shock absorber from a car for every 10 mph you drive. Learn more about how close proximity is one of the leading causes of accidents Not only is alcohol dangerous when mixed with drivers on the road. Drugs, both legal and illegal, can impair your ability to fully function as a driver.
If your mind is unclear and you don't have full control over your body, getting behind the wheel can lead to serious car accidents. More About Drugged Driving Car Accidents You're driving on the highway, it's dark and you want to get home because of the warm fire. The next thing you know, your car is spinning dangerously out of control because you hit black ice. While San Diego almost never has ice, ice is a leading cause of car accidents in cities with cold climates.
Learn More About How Icy Roads Cause Car Accidents Snow's Dangerous Mixture of Ice and Water Is a Dangerous Recipe for Car Accidents in Every Winter Storm. Like ice, snow isn't something you normally find when driving in San Diego. Cities with cold winters know full well how dangerous snow can be for travelers. More About Snow Car Accidents Everyone has been angry with another driver for one reason or another, but some drivers let their anger overcome them.
By following another angry driver or overtaking another speeding driver just to get in front of him and brake, these road freaks cause a lot of unnecessary car accidents every year. Learn More About Car Accidents Caused by Road Rage San Diego motorists are keenly aware of the dangers posed by potholes in the street. Drivers are at risk of losing control of their car or bursting a tire when they drive over these bumps. If you see a bump in the road of your car, you can avoid a car accident by making sure your tires don't go through it.
Learn more about how potholes cause car accidents There's not much talk about driver fatigue, but how well we can expect someone to drive when they're having trouble staying awake. Most car accidents caused by sleepy driving happen at night. If you want to fall asleep behind the wheel, stop when it's safe and try to take a quick 30-minute nap. Most roads are littered with scattered debris from a burst tire.
Tire punctures can cause you to lose control of your vehicle and are especially dangerous for larger cars, such as semi-trailers. When you encounter a tire blowout, try to maintain control of your vehicle and stop safely and you will likely avoid a serious car accident. Learn more about car accidents caused by tire blowouts Fog isn't the most common weather occurrence, and that's good news for car accident statistics. Driving is a skill that requires the ability to see, but fog makes it extremely difficult to see, sometimes more than the length of a car in front of you.
Prevent car accidents by using headlights, and never high beams, when driving in fog. More about car accidents in the fog Some people call them dead man curves, but everyone should be careful when approaching a curve. Many motorists have lost control of their cars along a dangerous curve and have lost their lives in a car accident. Therefore, when approaching these signs, respect the indicated speed limit and drive cautiously to avoid a car accident.
Learn more about how deadly curves cause accidents While drivers need to know the rules of the road, wild animals don't get driver education. Wild animals will hit the streets, and it's up to you to make sure you don't have a car accident with them. Be careful when you see an animal crossing sign and use high beams when traveling in rural and wooded areas. Learn more about avoiding car accidents at animal crossings Gloried by the Fast and the Furious movie franchise, street racing is a clandestine culture of fast cars and deadly car accidents.
With turbo engines and nitrous oxide thrusters, cars often reach very high speeds during a street race, making any resulting car accident much more dangerous and unlikely to produce survivors. Learn more about car accidents caused by street racing If the unfortunate thing happens and you have a car accident, the best thing you can do for yourself is to seek legal representation quickly. Our experienced car accident lawyers will help you avoid costly mistakes that many people make when dealing with insurance companies that often seek their best interests, not yours. Remember, You Only Get a Personal Injury Settlement.
Don't you think you should do everything in your power to maximize your agreement? Michael Pines, Senior Personal Injury Attorney, Founder of Firm &. The most common type of driver error is distracted driving. In theory, that could mean everything from talking to a passenger (or having an argument with them) to reading billboards on the road. But in reality, the most common cause of driver distraction is the use of phones and other devices.
Why is driver distraction so common? Much of our decision-making when driving is the result of the myth of multitasking, as described in a recent study by the National Safety Council. Medical studies have shown that the human brain is physiologically incapable of performing two important tasks at the same time. Rather, the brain is dedicated to microtasks, handling only one task at a time, but alternating between competitive tasks. Because the brain cannot properly process all incoming information, it chooses to process only a portion of the information.
The result? We are victims of the assumption that we are approaching both tasks properly, when in reality we are not fulfilling either of them effectively. How does this attempt to multitask affect our driving? As drivers, the likelihood of avoiding hazards depends to a large extent on our ability to first perceive the danger and then take appropriate steps to avoid it. The margin of error is usually only a few seconds. If a driver texts or adjusts the radio, the brain is less likely to perceive road hazards long enough to allow a safe response.
Learn more about car accidents caused by cell phone use. A driver's decision to consume alcohol and then get behind the wheel of a car reduces reaction time, has vision problems, and poor decision-making. See a Sample Letter of Demand in a DUI-Related Car Accident Case. A fatigued driver poses many of the same dangers as one who drives under the influence of alcohol.
Not only is a fatigued driver more likely to fall asleep while driving, but fatigue also reduces reaction times in response to road hazards. An intoxicated driver or a fatigued driver is much more likely to miss a traffic sign or stop sign, compared to an alert driver. Learn More About Car Accidents Caused by Sleepy Driving. Other driver-based decisions also lead to car accidents.
The decision to accelerate, go behind, or make a risky pass can cause a crash before the driver has time to correct a bad choice. Poor decision-making also leads to unsafe speeds considering local conditions, such as weather and. Nearly one in three deaths by accident in the U.S. It involves speeding, says Centers for Disease Control (CDC).
Speeding is a particularly common cause of accidents among young drivers. CDC says teen drivers are more likely to race than adult drivers, and male teens are more likely to race compared to their female counterparts. Those most likely to accelerate are also the least experienced drivers who are least equipped to deal with the high-speed hazards encountered when driving. Learn More About Car Accidents Caused by Negligence.
The physical condition of the road can play an important role in causing a car accident. If a road is improperly maintained, this can reduce wheel drive or make it difficult for the car to stop in time to avoid a hazard. Learn More About Car Accidents Caused by Conditions. Ice or moisture, whether from rain or snow, can cause a road to become slippery, again affecting driving conditions.
Weather can also impair visibility when conditions include fog, heavy rain, or snow. The mechanical performance of your car can also influence the cause of accidents. Failure to properly maintain the brake system or tires can prevent your ability to stop early (or stay away) from danger. Car accidents can cause significant damage and injury to the vehicle.
Everyone involved is likely to go to their insurance company for help or file a lawsuit against the other party. The success of a car accident lawsuit, however, often depends on establishing that the other driver was at fault. Learn more about the steps to take after a car accident and how a car accident lawyer can help. Start Here to Find Personal Injury Lawyers Near You.
Distracted driving is the most common cause of traffic accidents in the United States, causing more crashes each year than speeding, drunk driving, and other causes of serious accidents. . .
