If you are someone who regularly drives, you know that car accidents are a common occurrence that you encounter almost as frequently as daily on the roads.With all the new developments in technology, the cars of today are a lot safer than the cars from the previous decades. And the improvements in technology has also allowed car makers to add a lot of extra and important safety features in the cars too.
Even with all the safety features in place, car accidents do occur frequently. There are many causes of car accidents. Although car technology can make the vehicle itself safer, it cannot significantly influence the impact on the human element of driving cars. Many of the car accidents that take place happen because of human error. While with practice, the probability of these errors can be reduced, we can obviously see that these errors have not been completely eliminated.
The following are the top causes of car accidents:
1. Drunk Driving
One of the top causes of car accidents is driving under the influence of alcohol. It is also one of the most surprising and ridiculous reasons that puts lives of the driver and every other person in danger. The easiest way to avoid this is to simply not drive after having a few drinks.
Another way out is to have a designated driver whenever you go out, so one person is always sober to drive back safely. With all the on-demand cab service available, there is really no reason for someone under the influence to sit behind the wheels of their cars.
2. Sleepy Driving
Exhaustion and fatigue are among the top causes of car accidents. A safe driving experience requires the driver to be fully attentive towards their cars and the surroundings. When the levels of attentiveness go down, the chances of accidents go up. The issue with sleepy driving is that it is sometimes difficult to know that someone is sleepy beyond the danger levels. Often, the case is during long distance driving, where people confuse the sleepiness with just tiredness because of the long drive.
A good thing to account for when going on long trips is frequent stops along the way so the driver gets a chance to stretch, have a bite, and take stock of how sleepy they really are.
3. Distracted Driving
Technology has made our cars safer. But it has also increased the cases of distracted driving due to various reasons. The most obvious ones are where people are answering calls while driving, taking their eyes of the roads for vital seconds and putting everyone’s safety in danger.
Some people also go beyond and read and reply to text messages and emails when driving. And another big reason is people taking pictures and videos when driving. Other ways people get distracted is when they are eating or drinking something when driving, or even applying makeup sometimes. The best thing to do is to pullover, do what you want to, and then resume driving.
4. Reckless Driving
There is really no excuse for someone driving recklessly on the roads. Some people do it just to get an adrenaline rush, but the side effects of doing this is definitely not worth the risk. When you have the wheels in your hand, always ensure you are respectful of your own safety and also the people around you.
5. Speeding
Speeding is another common cause of car accidents that is so completely avoidable. When someone is speeding, their reaction time reduces because things are moving that much faster. Also, simple car stuff like steering works differently when the car is moving at really high speeds.
6. Running Red Lights
Running red lights often results in the worst kind of accidents. This is because the cars often crash head on into sides of other cars. The perpendicular nature of the impact often causes the most damage.
Running lights is also dangerous for the pedestrians’ safety because they may be crossing the street when someone runs the light. The simple thing to keep in mind is to always try to stop the car when you see the lights changing than speeding and trying to pass the lights before it turns red.
7. Tailgating
Tailgating causes accidents for a various number of reasons. The most obvious one is that the driver behind is unable to see far ahead enough because they are too close to the car in front. This results in them not getting enough time to react when any kind of hazard comes their way. Another reason this exercise is risky is because of the air-tunneling effect because of which your car may feel less grounded to the road than it normally does.
Road accidents cause a lot of financial and emotional damage, so please ensure the safety of yourself and others on the road with you.