The Most Common Causes of Auto Accidents

Nobody ever wants to find him or herself in an auto accident. Accidents are just something that happens when people use the wrong driving behaviors, or come across the wrong road conditions, at the wrong time. Sometimes, it’s not even as simple as that! Freak accidents do occur.

However, a vast majority of automobile accidents in the United States are the result of entirely avoidable circumstances; unlawful texting, speeding, improper car care and everyday distractions can all play a major contributing role to an auto accident. Much of the power is in your hands. With the right driving behavior set, you will always have the law on your side should an auto accident occur, and outside attorneys be involved.

Not all accidents are avoidable, but with the right behaviors and prior knowledge, you’ll stand a much better chance of keeping your car, and yourself, safe on the road. In this blog, we’ll cover some of America’s most common auto accident causes today.

Distractions, Distractions and More Distractions

Naturally, the absolute most common causes of auto accidents today are distractions; driver distraction, even for a few, split-seconds, can result in auto accidents, injury or even death. It’s absolutely crucial that, as a driver, you limit these distractions and prevent them from affecting your behaviors on the road.

These dangerous distractions, that many drivers fall prey to every single day, include:

• Cell phone use, with special regard to texting, which is now illegal in the state of Florida. We understand how integral to our everyday lives cell phones have become… however, that is no excuse to put yourself and others in danger by using them and their applications on the road. Is using your phone to search the web while driving ever worth the risk? If you must use your phone to call and receive calls in your car, we highly advise you invest in a hands-free phone set, or at least use your cell phone’s speaker function. What’s important here is to at least minimize how your cell phone calls affect driving, if such calls are necessary.
  
  
• Eating in the car is the second most common distraction we find in auto accident cases, and, of course, it’s another one that’s entierely avoidable with a little patience. We understand how busy the day-to-day lives of many Americans are, especially in today’s bustling environment, but just like anything else, safety should always come first. That means avoid eating behind the wheel; it can wait, and it could possibly save your life.
  
  
• Much like cell phone use, fiddling with the radio is another one of the common, often dangerous distractions drivers fall victim to. All it takes is a few seconds of finding the right button, scanning through stations or popping in a new CD to put you into a dangerous accident situation. We can’t stress this point enough: in most cases, whatever you’re doing with your eyes and ears (besides paying attention to the road) is not worth the risk. If you must go through your CDs or mp3 stereo players to find a new song, wait until you’ve come to a full stop at a red light, at the very least.

Unlawful Speeding

Beyond on-the-road distractions, unlawful speeding is the next biggest culprit behind a large portion of U.S. auto accidents. Similar to accidents from cell phone and radio distractions, accidents caused by speeding are usually 100% avoidable; it just requires a little sense on behalf of the driver.

On many roads, speed limit signs are more than the “guidelines” people assume them to be; they’re the maximum safe speed for that particular stretch of road, taking into account frequent weather conditions, road and traffic conditions and pedestrian traffic. Ignoring these posts is often the first factor in a chain of events resulting in a car crash.

Poor Maintenance

Both poorly maintained vehicles and roads are another leading cause of auto accidents, which can be avoided with the right car care (vehicle maintenance) or by avoiding poorly maintained roads to begin with.

If you notice a potential problem with your car, we highly recommend getting it fixed as soon as possible, as opposed to letting it go untended to, or brushing the problem off as insignificant. You can never know what accrued problems will come up down the line, should you let your vehicle’s problems go on prolongingly.

Weather and Traffic Conditions

The next biggest cause of auto accidents in the U.S. is something that drivers cannot always control; that is, adverse weather and traffic conditions. While you can’t determine the weather or eliminate rush hour at will, you can control how you act in these situations. Determining liability in accidents involving weather or traffic conditions is often aided by consulting a professional auto accident attorney, who can represent you in court and fight for your compensation should your accident cause harm or affect other areas of your life.

Contact us right away for more information on how to lower your risk for an auto accident, or for more help finding proper representation after an accident.