Why Do Car Accidents Happen So Often?
What Causes Car Accidents Most?
- Speeding?
- Rash driving (driving wildly, with little regard for safety)?
- Drunk driving?
- Fatigue?
- Weather conditions?
- Sudden breaking?
- Sudden breaking?
- Error of judgement?
- Defects in the car?
- Bad road?
Some advice
Avoid driving when sleepy, and after taking medication. It is crucial that drivers plan journeys, especially those on monotonous roads.
Drivers should
- Take a rest before driving
- Take regular rest breaks
- Plan an overnight stop
- Avoid long trips after working all day
- Avoid driving at night
- Avoid alcohol before driving
- If feeling sleepy, stop the car, drink coffee or tea and/or and take a short nap.
Causes of Car Accidents
People focus too much on car accident statistics but they do not focus enough on the causes of car accidents. Understanding the causes of most car accidents can help us to avoid them.
Here are the main causes:
- The driver did not see an object (in most cases): it was dark, it was raining or/and the driver drove too fast or 'the object' was moving too fast.
- The road was slippery (or there was some other problem on the roadway)
- There was a technical problem in the car.
Accidents Are NOT Accidents
In fact, most accidents are not accidents. They are collisions that should be avoided. Over 95 percent of accidents are related to driver behaviour. Excessive speed is the most frequent reason.
According to the Motorist News and Driving Guide, most accidents happen due to the following reasons:
- Equipment failure
- Brakes
- Tires
- Steering & suspension
- Roadway design
- Hazard visibility
- Roadway surfaces
- Traffic control devices
- Traffic flow
- Roadway identification signs
- Weather
- Poor roadway maintenance
- Debris
- Faded road signs
- Potholes
- Roadway construction
- Salting & sanding
- Driver behavior
- Behavioral control devices - built-in obstacles that limit the ability of a vehicle to travel, including crash barrels, speed bumps, pedestrian islands, raised medians, high curbing, guard rails, and concrete barriers.
Whose Fault Was It?
Drivers usually blame someone else when an accident occurs. Research results show that about eighty percent of drivers who experienced accidents thought that 'the other driver' made a mistake. Only a small number of five percent admitted that they were to be blamed for the accidents. Some mistakes occur when a driver becomes distracted by some other people, phone, etc. Research proved that very few accidents result from an 'Act of God,' like a tree falling on a vehicle.
[Retrieved from http://www.smartmotorist.com/traffic-and-safety-guideline/what-causes-car-accidents.html]
References
Road Traffic Crashes
Contributory factors to road accidents
Reyner L. and Horne J. Early Morning Driver Sleepiness: Effectiveness of 200 mg Caffeine, Psychophysiology, Vol. 37, 2000.
Driver Fatigue and Road Accidents
Motor Vehicle Safety
Major Causes of Car Accidents
Normal Accident Theory
Connor J, Whitlock G, Norton R, Jackson R (2001) The role of driver sleepiness in car crashes: a systematic review of epidemiological studies. Accid Anal Prev 33, 31–41.
Road Risk Reduction
Causes of Fatal Traffic Crashes and Traffic Fatalities
Analysis of Accident Data and Evaluation of Leading Causes for Traffic Accidents in Jordan
Sleepiness of Occupational Drivers
Car Accidents in Malaysia
Fatal Road Traffic Accidents
Road Accident Analysis: A Case Study of Patna City
