Seven Common Causes of Serious Car Accidents

Hoosier motorists owe a duty of care to each other while driving on Indiana’s roadways. However, serious car accidents still happen on our highways and interstates for a variety of reasons. In many cases, driver error leads to a crash, but there are other factors that can contribute to the cause of a collision.

You should reach out to a attorney Matt Boulton if you believe your car accident is due to another person’s negligence.

Distractions

An average of 400,000 serious car accident injuries are due to distracted drivers. Distraction can be visual, manual, or cognitive. A visual distraction causes motorists to take their eyes off the road. Examples include reading messages or looking at a navigation system. Texting and emailing tend to be the most common risk factors.

Manual distractions involve taking your hands off the wheel. Eating food or managing the radio can become manual distractions. Cognitive distractions are when someone takes their mind off of driving. An example would be daydreaming. Any type of diversion can endanger yourself, passengers, and other drivers.

Speeding Can Cause Serious Car Accidents

Another leading cause of serious car accidents is speeding. Around 26% of traffic fatalities involved motorists going above the speed limit. Many people feel the temptation to go fast when they need to get to places. Heavy traffic and running late are common reasons why a person would accelerate.

However, speeding puts the driver and others on the road at risk. A person has less time to react to changes in the environment if they speed. Their car might not stop in time to avoid a collision once they apply the brake. A driver has a higher chance of losing control of their vehicle as well.

Increased speeds will often lead to severe car damage and injuries.

Hazardous Weather

Harsh weather conditions can include heavy rain, sleet, snow, and ice. The rain and snow can make driving safely difficult due to low visibility. Thick fog can give people a hard time seeing past the hood of their cars, increasing the risk of a crash.

Icy or slushy roads can cause a car to skid, and drivers are more likely to lose control. Roughly 116,800 people sustain injuries due to winter weather-related collisions each year. Drivers need to moderate their speeds and make use of windshield wipers during harsh weather.

Drunk Driving Can Cause Serious Car Accidents

The consumption of alcohol is another leading factor behind motor vehicle accidents. Drunk-driving collisions lead to an average of 10,142 fatalities a year. Alcohol impairs a person’s ability to drive.

A common effect is the loss of judgment. Alcohol can impair visual functions like rapid tracking of moving objects. A drunk driver might not judge how far a vehicle is and take a left turn at an inappropriate time. Motorists can experience a loss of muscle coordination and concentration as well. Lane drifting can occur, and the driver could hit an adjacent vehicle.

As a result, the law limits how much of the substance can be in the body. The Blood Alcohol Concentration (BAC) is the weight of alcohol in the blood. Legally, a person cannot operate a vehicle if their BAC is over .08%.

Driving at Night

People do a portion of their driving in the evening. They might be returning home from work or going out to socialize. Nevertheless, around 50% of fatal traffic fatalities occur at night. The darkness reduces a person’s ability to see the surrounding area. Headlights help, but a driver still might not notice a pedestrian.

Driving at night can result in drowsiness as well. Feelings of tiredness impacts judgment and coordination. Additionally, a motorist is likely to have a poor reaction time. Exhaustion could lead to a person falling asleep behind the wheel. As a result, the car might steer off the road or into another lane causing serious car accidents.

Vehicle Defects

About 44,000 car crashes have vehicle-related causes. Vehicles consist of hundreds of parts, and at least one of them could malfunction. Automobiles go through extensive testing, but a flawed design might go unseen.

An error could occur while someone is driving, and an accident might ensue. In some cases, the brakes fail to work. A portion of accidents is the result of issues with the wheels. Alternatively, the steering or suspension could have malfunctioned. A lawyer can help determine the cause upon investigation.

Tailgating

Tailgating is when one driver follows closely behind another. The distance does not leave enough room for the person behind to react to sudden stops. A person might get close due to impatience or recklessness.

An average of 14 out of every 10,000 motorists have a previous violation for tailgating. Many rear-end collisions are the result of tailgating. The severity of accidents increases when the vehicles travel at higher speeds. The appropriate distance is one car length for every 10 mph.

Seek Legal Help After a Serious Indiana Car Accident

In many cases, vehicle collisions are the result of negligence. The team at Boulton Law Group can help you find the cause of the accident. We know what to look for when we investigate the matter. We work hard to hold the other party liable and get you the money you deserve.

Contact our office today to get started.