A staggering 1.34 million people die every year due to car accidents with it being the leading cause for death for people between the ages of 1-54 in the US The most harrowing thing about these facts is that the vast majority of accidents are avoidable with them being due to human error.
For this reason, knowing the top causes of car accidents is the greatest means of protection against finding yourself in an accident. We will now consider them for you to be in the know for the next time you get behind the wheel.
Distracted Driving
The brain best functions when focusing on one thing at a time therefore when that thing is driving a car we really can’t afford to take any risks. The statistics speak for themselves as the NHTSA reported that in 2018 2,841 people were killed and an estimated additional 400,000 people injured in motor vehicle crashes involving distracted drivers.
The main distractions are things that keep us occupied in our day to day lives. Cell phones, eating and applying make up whilst driving are all habits that should be stamped out.
Aggressive and Reckless Driving
Driver impatience is another one of the top causes of car accidents. This leads to reckless acts that can have major ramifications for anyone involved in a potential accident.
Habits included in aggressive or reckless driving are constant lane switching, driving too close to the car in front and trying to beat traffic lights.
All of these are again dangerous habits that one could find themselves getting into without realising the damage that one could find themselves in.
Driving Under the Influence
Full concentration is needed when driving a car, meaning that driving under the influence of any substance is a major no-no.
Alcohol, in particular, is dangerous as it will affect your reaction speed, concentration and decision making. To bring this point home, 30 people die daily connected to drunk driving, working out at approximately a death every 50 minutes not to mention the countless more who experience car accident injury.
With this in mind, if you know you have had one too many, be sure to give your keys to someone else or take a taxi home.
Tiredness
Getting behind the wheel when intoxicated is commonly accepted as reckless behaviour. For this reason, perhaps, no one would even think that something normal as being sleepy could ever be in the same category, as it seems so harmless. In fact, 60% of Americans have admitted to driving while sleepy.
But the statistics tell another story.
There are at least 100,000 deaths caused every year by drowsy drivers. Bit why is this the case? Surprisingly the result of being sleepy has the same effect on the body as alcohol. Therefore decision making and reaction times are impaired.
The best advice when feeling fatigued is to pull over and rest. Even 15 minutes of sleep can vastly improve your alertness.
Why Knowing the Top Causes of Car Accidents Matters
It is said that knowledge is power and with the foreknowledge of the top causes of car accidents we hope that it can help you to avoid them.
Of course, we cannot change the actions of others on the road but by at least cutting our these bad habits, we can do our part to help reduce the statistics as well as the often tragic consequences of car accidents.
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