The Most Common Causes of Car Accidents
As long as every human error is removed from our transport system and the car accidents scene. Accidents of some magnitude are likely to remain an inevitable part of life as a driver.
The auto industry has advanced in recent times in its efforts to increase the safety of vehicles or improving their durability when they crash or better at eliminating and reducing the likelihood of accidents completely.
As engineers and scientists continue to investigate these issues. One thing we can do to become more safe drivers is to be educated on the leading reasons for car accidents.
Below is a compilation using information supplied by the nation’s most reputable insurance companies throughout the years. It provides an insight into the causes of most of the car crashes on the road currently.
1. Distractions from Smartphones
The first three items on our list are all in the larger classification of “distracted driving” which is the most common reason for car accidents by 2021. The top distractions are those annoying but extremely beneficial gadgets we have on us at all times such as the smartphone.
If it’s responding to texts or scrolling on social media, posting hilarious memes, or playing with video and music apps to create the perfect music playing phones are a major distraction, creating hundreds of accidents.
Based on the National Safety Council, 1 out of 4 car accidents are caused by driving while texting as well as more serious car accidents that involve cell phones. Are estimated to be around 1.6 million accidents each year. Check out the second hand cars for sale in Nigeria. These numbers should be frightening enough to make us think twice about engaging in distractions with our mobile phones while driving.
2. Passenger Distraction
Another main reason for car accidents within the category of distracted driving is the distractions caused by passengers inside the vehicle.
3. Food and Drink
In the distracted driving section,, we face the problem of drinking and eating inside the vehicle. This time we’re not including alcohol (see the details below) However, drinking and eating out can be equally deadly.
The safety of driving a suzuki bus is an act of balance with your hands at the wheel and the gear shifter, additional controls as well as the eyes on the road. When you try to introduce food into the balance situation, things begin to be a little out of kilter.
It could be somebody spilling hot coffee onto the lap of their child. Eating food that’s too spicy, causing the eyes watery, stinging or perhaps the act of eating itself and obscuring the driver’s vision even for a short time. Just a few seconds. That’s all it requires!
4. Speeding
We are moving away from distraction-driven driving and are now entering the realm that is “reckless driver”. The speed limit is the next major road rage fatality. In reality, we’re not talking about drivers who speed down the highway at 100-mph. Actually, a more serious threat is those who surpass lower speed limits. Such as 30-mph and 40-mph thinking that “just being 5 mph over” does not make any impact.
The thing that many drivers seem to ignore is the difference that even five mph makes in their stopping and braking distances. It’s much greater than you imagine. Even if we choose larger distances, like 20 mph, the difference in distance is awe-inspiring.
If you drive at 20 mph that is a thought space of around 20 feet. And stopping distance for braking and stopping of 20 feet, which is 40 feet in total. If we increase that number to 40 mph, does the stopping distance increase up to 80 feet? In reality your thinking distance will increase to 40 feet. However your stopping distance quadruples up to 80 feet which makes 120 feet total.
5. Drunk Driving
The second type of reckless driving is driving drunk. Alcohol can seriously affect your reaction time coordination, concentration, and vision. That’s why no element of alcohol consumption can make driving more secure. If you’ve ever encountered those who claim that drinking a glass of wine and a buzz make the person “a safer driver” be sure to give them a broad berth.
As per the NHTSA according to the NHTSA, there’s one drink-related fatality every 52 minutes and drunk driving accounts for over 10,000 fatalities per year. Accounting for around 1/3 of all deaths attributed to traffic.
6. Dangerous Driving
They are weaving between busy traffic, cutting off people by passing cars on blind corners and much more.
Their arrogance as well as their lack of appropriate control. Discipline and driveability behind the wheel are typically due to the developing mistakes and blunders. Each time they make a foolish mistake and do not get injured, it inspires them to go further.
7. Failure to stop
There are others who believe that a “Stop” signal is only applicable to others and red light signals are just for advice. A simple failure to stop when required to could result in devastating consequences on the roads not just for you and your fellow passengers as well as vehicles, but usually also for other motorists.
The sign is telling you to stop and pay attention to the road surrounding you to ensure your security. Believing that these lights and signs are obstructions that are only there to help others is a fantastic method to create car accidents on the road.