Car accidents in the United States are one of the leading causes of preventable death, with tens of thousands of fatalities and millions of injuries occurring annually due to many reasons.

When you look at the car accident statistics in the U.S., recent data shows that over 43,000 people die in car accidents annually. Even though there are fluctuations in these statistics every year, you still need to be aware of what causes most of these car accidents.

Distracted Driving

Studies suggest that a significant portion of car accidents happen due to distracted driving. People who literally just fail or refuse to pay attention on the road while driving contribute to fatal crashes.

Distracted driving has increasingly become more common among young drivers who are less experienced and are more likely to be tempted by different kinds of distractions while driving, especially checking phones. 

Common distractions include:

• Texting, calling, and checking notifications on the phone
• Eating food or drinking something while driving
• External distractions like looking outside (rubbernecking)
• Adjusting the GPS to navigate
• Engaging in heated arguments with passengers

Speeding 

Speeding causes one of the deadliest car accidents. The law requires you to drive at a certain speed limit for a reason, and when you breach the law and drive over the speed limit, it leads you to get into an accident.

There is also a reason why speeding is the most fatal cause of car accidents. When you’re going at a high speed, it’ll be harder for you to hit the brakes when you face an obstacle on the road, potentially crashing into other vehicles or pedestrians.

Speeding reduces the amount of time you have for making a decision, and that’s why many end up hitting the trees or buildings on the sides of the road when they try to avoid an obstacle while speeding.

Driving Under the Influence

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Driving under the influence of alcohol or drugs like marijuana and meth remains one of the leading causes of car accidents, being the leading factor in the past.

Alcohol and drugs affect the driver’s ability to judge; they have substantially lesser reaction times, lesser concentration on the road, blurred vision, and impaired hearing, and they even fail to see red lights and run them and are totally unaware of the speed they’re at. All these effects of intoxicated driving cause the driver to crash when an obstacle arrives.

Reckless or Aggressive Driving

When you drive in a manner that poses a threat to others on the road, that counts as reckless driving.

You have a duty to adhere to the traffic rules while driving on the road, but when you refuse to follow these rules and drive unpredictably, you are not allowing other cars and pedestrians on the road to react, potentially leading to accidents.

Actions that count as reckless or aggressive driving are:

• Driving dangerously close behind another vehicle (tailgating)
• Road raging
• Switching lanes without signaling
• Running red lights
• Street racing
• Running stop signs
• Being aggressive, such as sudden braking and cutting others off

Driving in Inclement Weather Conditions

Bad weather conditions are one of the common causes that are not due to driver errors. Many places face fluctuating weather conditions.

Bad weather conditions can be:

• Rain causes drivers to face slippery roads because there’s less friction.
• Snow and ice cause drivers to skid or slide on the road.
• Fog and snow can blanket everything around in white, making everything blurry and making it harder to see what’s on the road.

Municipalities or property owners are mostly held liable in bad-weather-condition-related car accidents.

Conclusion

After learning the causes, you’re aware now why these accidents happen. If you ever get into a car accident, hire a professional car accident attorney who can protect your rights and get you the full compensation for your damages.

Key Takeaways

• Drivers distracting themselves, like checking their phones and GPS.
• Speeding the car over the limit reduces reaction times.
• Driving after drinking or taking drugs impairs judgment, vision, and reaction times.
• Driving unpredictably with no regard for other drivers and pedestrians.
• Inclement weather, like rain, snow, fog, and ice, causes drivers to get into a crash.