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Common Causes of Car Accidents

By Corey Walker

Republish: EasyPublish™ Published: 29Sep2009 Word count: 717 Viewed: 393 time(s) Get Free Content For Your Site

Car accidents happen about every 15 minutes in the United States. People assume the risk of getting into a car accident when they decide to drive a car. There are many reasons why car accidents happen each day. This article is going to discuss the most common causes of accidents and what you can do to protect yourself and your family when driving. Most of these might seem obvious to most drivers, yet they are the leading reason accidents happen.

- DISTRACTIONS- There is many things that can take your concentration off the road while driving. A major distraction these days are the use of cell phones. Texting or talking while driving is a big distraction and is becoming more popular among drivers of all ages. Having other passengers in your car or children can be very distracting as well. If your child is crying or asking you to get something for them, this takes most of your attention away from the road which can be deadly. Many drivers might tune their attention to the radio or changing the song on their iPod, this can cause you to swerve toward another car or off the road. Trying to avoid all distractions is probably impossible, but you can try to leave your cell phone alone or make a playlist on your iPod before you drive so you don't have to mess with it once you are in the car.

- FATIGUE- According to the U.S. National Traffic Safety Administration about 100,000 accidents each year are related to sleepy drivers. Driving late at night when you are used to sleeping increases your risk of being in an accident. If you must drive late at night it would be wise to share the driving with someone and be sure to pull over and rest if needed when you start to feel drowsy. It would benefit you to get a good night's rest before going on a long road trip.

- DRUNK DRIVING- This has been a major issue for years. In the year 2007, 32% of car accidents that happened in Iowa were caused by drunk driving. Each year around 13,000 people are killed by drunk drivers in the United States. That number is preventable, those are lives taken away because of alcohol. If you plan on drinking, please do not drive, take a cab home if possible or have a designated driver lined up for the night.

- SPEEDING- If you increase your speed and happen to get into an accident the impact of the crash is going to be much greater which may cause worse injuries to all people involved. Also, if you are driving at a high speed you may not be able to avoid an accident, because you are driving so fast. There are speed limits for a reason.

- DRIVING AGGRESSIVE- We all may get a little bit annoyed with traffic when we are trying to get somewhere on time, but not having any regard for other drivers on the road can create problems. If you tend to drive in a selfish or pushy manner you may be considered an aggressive driver. You should not tailgate, flash your lights at another driver, give rude gestures, use verbal abuse, or deliberately prevent another driver from moving their vehicle. All of these things increase your chance of getting into a crash. If you are the target of an aggressive driver you should remain calm, try to keep your distance, and do not pass unless it is safe. If the aggressive driver won't back down, you can report them to 911.

- WEATHER- Living in Iowa we are prone to a variety of weather, especially snow and ice storms. When bad weather hits it usually has a large impact on driving conditions. If you need to get somewhere when the weather is bad you need to minimize all distractions and drive with extra caution. If the weather is severe you may need to rethink your trip and postpone it until the driving conditions get better.

Accidents can't be completely prevented, but as a driver you can minimize your risk by being safe and obeying all traffic laws as well as other things mentioned in this article. Talking on the phone or looking at the paper should be saved until you are out of the car.

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