Nobody wants to get into a car accident because there are no winners. You can get injured, it interrupts your day, your car is banged up, and you may be liable for damages.
Your goal should be to avoid this at all costs, but how can you do that? By understanding the reasons why it happens. Let’s take a look at the six leading causes of car accidents.
Cause #1: Weather
You can be the best driver on the planet, but sometimes the weather doesn’t cooperate and makes it dangerous to drive on the roads. The type of weather that negatively affects driving includes:
- Ice makes all aspects of driving dangerous. It impairs your ability to stop, turn, accelerate and even park.
- Snow is not only slippery to drive on, and it can build up and block roads and driveways completely. Visibility is also an issue when driving during a snowstorm.
- Rain makes streets slick and may form dangerous puddles to drive through as they can hide potholes and cause hydroplaning.
- Fog is like driving through pea soup. You can’t see in front of you and turning on high beams only worsens the problem.
You can’t predict the weather, so it is best to avoid hitting the road during extreme conditions or taking extra time while getting to your destination.
Cause #2: Distracted Driving
This is a big one, especially with our smartphones’ technological wonder. We love to check emails, messages and social media posts during the day, and it doesn’t stop when many people get behind the wheel. We have enough distractions in our cars with the radio.
Pedestrians and other vehicles. The last thing we need is our phones pinging every 10 seconds with a like and follow from our latest Instagram post or Tick Tok video. Turn your device off during driving, or at least resist the urge to pick it up until you are stopped.
Cause #3: Improper Driving
This one covers several bad habits while driving and contributes to the majority of accidents in your car.
Speeding is the most frequent bad driving habit people do, and while it does get you to your destination quicker, it puts you and the rest of the vehicles on the road at risk. Running red lights is another dangerous game to play and puts you in harm’s way. This includes driving through stale yellow lights and multiple cars turning left in an intersection. No one can be in such a hurry that they need to ignore traffic lights.
Running stop signs is a similar practice and can cause major accidents. You don’t know how fast someone else is going from the side street, and they can easily make contact with you as you neglect to stop. Unchecked lane changes, two-lane turns and tailgating cause lots of collisions too. These types of reckless driving put everyone at risk.
Cause #4: Impaired Diving
Driving under the influence is a criminal offence that goes beyond recklessness. You are deciding to operate a vehicle while impaired, which is just wrong no matter how you look at it. If you are involved in a DUI, contact a personal injury lawyer Pickering and seek legal representation right away.
The types of impairment include:
- Alcohol
- Marijuana
- Hard drugs
- Some prescription drugs
If you want to use a legal substance that alters your cognitive function, make sure you plan an alternate way to get home. Then you can enjoy your night without putting anyone at risk of an accident. If you have to drive, stay sober, period.
Cause #5: Teen Driving
This is not dumping on teenagers but rather a statistic that points to younger drivers having more car accidents. Several factors affect a new driver, including inexperience and more distractions from friends and devices.
The best course of action for a new driver, especially a teenager, is to take defensive driving lessons and practice with an adult before venturing out on your own, especially with your peer group in the vehicle. Many teens are excellent drivers, so this category includes all new drivers, young and old.
Cause #6: Night Driving
During the day, a driver can see the road, other drivers and any obstacles in their path. At night, it’s a different story. Everything gets harder when the sun goes down, and if you add poor weather conditions and bad driving habits, the chances of an accident are more likely.
If you are not confident driving at night, wait until the next day to go out or do your running around before sunset. If you drive at night, take the roads more slowly and be more cautious. Give yourself some extra time to get to your destination as well.
The secret to safe driving is to take a calmer approach when behind the wheel. It is not a race when you are operating your car, so follow the rules of the road and get to your endpoint in one piece. Enjoy the freedom of driving and stay safe out there.
