5 Most Common Causes of Accidents

Car accidents are among the leading causes of death in the United States. In fact, they are number four on the list. Regardless of all the precautions taken to avoid car accidents, including automobile technology, design, and safety features, as well as road laws, engineering and design, and of course the attempt to create driver safety awareness, the numbers are still shocking. Globally, there are nearly 1.25 million fatalities each year from car accidents, while 20 to 50 million are injured or disabled.

The questions that come to mind is why are these accidents occurring and how can we lower the numbers? At Green Law Firm, our Brownsville personal injury law firm agrees that awareness of why and how these accidents occur is extremely beneficial to citizens in order to avoid car accidents. Let’s take a look at the most common causes of car accidents.

1. Bad Weather
   Bad weather is of course unavoidable. When a storm comes, it can sometimes become difficult to simply put our busy schedules on hold. While most car accidents occur as a result of neglect or fault of a driver, bad weather is still a common factor in wrecks. Rain, snow, and ice lead to hundreds of car wrecks in Texas each year. Heavy rain leads to collision by limiting the visibility of drivers. While we don’t see ice often here, many drivers are not equipped with the knowledge of how to handle it. If one’s car hits ice just right, it can lead to hydroplaning and the driver losing control of the vehicle.
2. Driving recklessly
   Driving recklessly is categorized by someone disregarding the laws of the road. This typically includes actions such as speeding, running red lights or stop signs, cutting people off, not using one’s turn signals, etc. Reckless driving causes multiple car accidents each day.
3. Speeding
   Many people fail to recognize the danger they are putting themselves and others in by speeding, while it makes the list for one of the most common causes of accidents. Regardless of how “good” of a driver one is, it is humanly and mechanically impossible to react in time when traveling at certain speeds. Driving the set speed limit as well as keeping the legal and appropriate distance behind other cars could significantly decrease the number of car accidents each day.
4. Driving while intoxicated
   Driving while intoxicated is another one of the most common causes of accidents. However, luckily, the numbers have decreased by over 60% in the last 30 years. Even with these lower numbers, drunk driving still took account for 29% of the car accident fatalities in 2017.
5. Driving while distracted
   People fail to understand and recognize the danger they are putting themselves and others in by driving while distracted. Common driving distractions include loud music, eating and drinking, talking on the phone, texting, adjusting the radio levels, talking to others in the car, putting on makeup, looking at something other than the road, etc.

With car accidents being one of the most common causes of fatalities and injuries, it is so important to practice driver and road safety. If you or one of your loved ones has been injured by a negligent driver, you may have the right to take action and receive compensation for your losses. Having an expert Brownsville car wreck attorney on your side is key in such complicated cases. Here at Green Law Firm, our team is experienced with said cases and want to help. If you have any questions or would like to schedule a consultation, contact us today.