4 Most Common Causes Of Traffic Accidents
Brian O Sutter
Traffic Accidents
Traffic accidents are something that no one wants to be the victim of, and yet, somewhere in America alone, over three million traffic accidents occur that result in an injury every year. That averages out to six traffic accidents involving an injury every minute, somewhere in the country.It’s important to keep an eye on the road, especially other drivers, while in your vehicle. Even if you’re taking all precautions, there’s no accounting for how other drivers may behave on the road, and here are four of the most common reasons that traffic accidents involving injuries take place.
Aggressive Driving
Everyone has seen this type of driver on the road. This is the driver that is either driving angry or impatiently, ignoring stop signs, running red lights, overtaking other cars at every opportunity, never content to be behind another driver.
Aggressive driving leads to drivers taking unnecessary risks for minimal “gain” on the road. This can lead to accidents at intersections where other drivers are not expecting someone to ignore the right of way at a stop sign, or on freeways, vehicles missed in the blind spot while changing lanes.
Drunk Driving
Despite years of messaging in the media, people driving under the influence—often alcohol, though drugs are not uncommon—plague America. The altered state of consciousness comes from drugs and alcohol change perceptions, judgment, and, most critically, impair reflexes.
Drunk drivers have poor reaction times and difficulty concentrating on the road. As a result, accidents are all too easy for people who are intoxicated or high on drugs. The severity of driving under the influence is such that it’s one of the few traffic offenses considered a criminal act.
Fatigue
This is, unfortunately, a widespread problem, especially for professional drivers. While most people are in vehicles only to get to and from a commuting destination, some people may spend hours driving. When that happens, it’s all too easy for exhaustion to take hold, sometimes leading to lapses in concentration, or, in the worst-case scenarios, falling asleep at the wheel.
When this occurs, anything can happen, including drifting from lanes or colliding into other vehicles. It’s especially dangerous with professional freight drivers in larger commercial vehicles. Someone falling asleep while steering an 18-wheel mac truck loaded with tons of cargo, for example, is going to cause much more damage to other vehicles.
Distracted Driving
This is the #1 cause of accidents in the world. Distracted driving is any lapse in attention from the road, and it can lead to an accident in seconds or less. Best selling author Stephen King, for example, was struck by a truck in 1999 while taking a walk when a driver turned to discipline his dogs.
Similar accidents occur all over America in general, Florida, and even local areas like Sarasota and Charlotte county. All it takes is one driver picking their phone and looking at it instead of paying attention to the road at a crucial moment to cause an accident, which is why it happens so frequently.
If you’ve been injured in a traffic accident due to another driver’s negligence, get legal help. Talk to an attorney for auto accidents to figure out your next step.