5 Common Causes of Car Accidents and How to Prevent Them

It only takes a few seconds. You see the brake lights shine in front of you, you slam your foot on the brake but, before you know it, your car hits the vehicle in front of you. Getting into a car crash can have serious consequences. It can lead to physical injuries, financial difficulties, and emotional turmoil. Is there anything you can do to prevent this type of scenario from happening?

The short answer is yes. Since human error accounts for more than 90% of all road accidents, it means that you, the driver, have the power to prevent them. Let’s take a look at the most common causes of car accidents and what you can do to avoid them.

Distracted Driving

The most common cause of car accidents is distracted driving. You already know that you’re not allowed to talk on the phone while driving. This is because we humans are very bad at multi-tasking. You may think that you can pay attention to two things at the same time, but actually, you keep shifting from one to the other, which slows down your reaction time.

In fact, experts argue that making hands-free phone calls is just as dangerous and should be banned. This is because even though you are not holding the phone, your focus will shift from driving to the conversation and back, making it impossible to be completely aware of your surroundings.

And it’s not just talking on the phone. Whether you’re trying to retrieve something that has fallen on the phone or getting your kids to stop fighting in the back seat, you’re increasing the risk of getting into an accident. If you have something else you need to do, it’s best to pull over.

Drowsy Driving

Drowsy driving is another common cause of accidents. When so many of us work overtime and have endless to-do lists, we find ourselves driving around with less than five hours of sleep for the third or fourth day in a row. This affects our ability to drive safely because sleep deprivation has similar effects on our reaction time and cognitive abilities as drinking alcohol. What’s worse is that sleep deprivation can result in microsleep – brief episodes of sleep of up to 30 seconds, which is more than enough to cause an accident.

If you feel exhausted, you’re constantly yawning, and your eyelids are heavy, you need to either pull over for a quick nap or to drink a cup of coffee. If possible, whenever you’re going through stressful times when you don’t have enough time to sleep the required 7 or 8 hours per night, you should use public transit or carpool. If you go on vacation and expect to drive for many hours in a row, it’s safer to take a “driving buddy” with you so you can switch from time to time.

Reckless Driving

Reckless driving is defined as driving a motor vehicle “in willful or wanton disregard for the safety of persons or property.” This can mean speeding, changing lanes too quickly, failing to signal, or tailgating. This sort of behavior can result from the driver being impatient or aggressive, but also from lack of experience in new drivers. Teenagers, in particular, can be more impulsive behind the wheel.

Maybe now you’re thinking that you are not a reckless driver, so this doesn’t apply to you. That may be, but chances are that you will share the road with quite a few reckless drivers, so you have to do your best to minimize the risk.

Make sure you use your left and right signals whenever you want to change lanes and check your blind spots. You can also get cameras and sensors to improve your visibility. Moreover, you need to consider that the other drivers have blinds spots, so you need to keep a safe distance, honk and use your signal lights to let them know you’re there.

Driving Under the Influence  

We all know that alcohol makes you lose your ability to focus and affects your coordination. This is particularly dangerous when you’re operating a vehicle. Alcohol also affects decision-making, which is why many people decide to get behind the wheel, thinking that they’re not drunk, just “buzzed.” At best, it will result in a fine and a suspended license, and in the worst-case scenario, it will lead to an accident. Bear I mind that having open containers of alcohol in your car is also illegal. You’ll need to make sure they’re sealed and place them in the trunk.

If you’re taking any medications, always read the prospect to see if it’s safe to drive. Some will make you drowsy and slow down your reflexes, similarly to alcohol or sleep deprivation.

Road Rage

Most of us have gotten angry at another driver. It could be that they did something we consider reckless or rude. They cut us off, didn’t signal, they were talking on the phone, etc. At that moment, we may wonder how that person got a driver’s license and make some rather unkind assumptions about their level of intelligence. Sometimes it’s simply because we are under a lot of stress for a completely different reason, and it doesn’t take much to set us off. Still, we let it go and get on with our day.

However, some drivers let their anger take over, which leads to unwise decisions. Studies have found that over 50% of drivers will experience road rage, although not all will react through dangerous behaviors such as tailgating the driver that “wronged” them, speeding past the other driver in an attempt to one-up them and so on. If you’ve noticed that you are prone to road rage and engage in this type of risky behavior, you can try anger management therapy where you’ll learn different techniques to calm down quickly. This will not only reduce the risk of getting into an accident, but it will also improve your overall health since, in the long-term, unmanaged anger can lead to high blood pressure and heart disease.

On the other hand, if you find yourself in a situation where you are on the receiving end of road rage, it’s best not to engage and get out of the way. Even if you’re sure that you didn’t do anything wrong, you will not be able to convince them when they’re in that state.