A car accident is one of the most traumatic things that can happen to a person and can impact their entire life. Car accidents are life threatening;, approximately 1.2 million people die every year worldwide in automobile accidents, and even more are severely injured. Even the smallest of automobile accidents can cause major injuries which will affect your personal, and possibly professional, life.
Damage to your car and your body can be very expensive, which means you will have to rely on one or possibly multiple insurance companies to pay for the damages. Trying to protect yourself as well as wrestle money away from big companies who are trying to give you as little as possible is stressful and tiresome, which is the last thing someone who was recently in an accident needs. Hiring an auto accident attorney may seem drastic, but it will ensure that you get everything that you deserve.
One accident can be caused by several factors; discovering those factors will help you get as much as you need from the insurance company.
Weather Can Cause Accidents
One of the biggest factors when looking at what causes accidents is the conditions around the drivers. Two drivers could be driving perfectly and be focused on the road ahead of them but still get into an accident due to an outside force.
A thin layer of black ice can easily be unnoticed but devastating to a driver who is trying to stop. Other conditions like rain and fog can limit visibility and create a dangerous situation with drivers not being able to see each other or the road ahead of them.
Depending on the where someone lives, even earthquakes, tornados, windstorms, and other natural disasters can come on suddenly and cause accidents. These outside forces that affect drivers are some of the main contributors to the high number of accidents.
Distracted Drivers
While car accidents are more likely to happen in poor driving conditions like in darkness, fog, rain, or snow, they don’t always. Automobile accidents can occur in broad daylight during perfect driving conditions, especially if the driver is not paying 100% attention to what they are doing.
The introduction of smartphones, texting, snapchat, and other handheld entertainment has greatly increased the possibility of being distracted while driving. A few decades ago the worst things you had to worry about was the car radio or rowdy passengers distracting you, but now we have a new onslaught of distractions in addition to the ones that were always there.
One of the largest distraction factors for car accidents is a phenomenon called “rubbernecking.” The term rubbernecking means looking away from the road to observe something else that is going on, sometimes even another accident.
These situations can be easily avoided simply by putting the cell phone away somewhere where you cannot see or hear it like the glove compartment and focusing on the road and other drivers.
Causes Besides Distraction
Distraction is not the only cause of accidents, however. There are many other dangers to drivers, including fatigue, inebriation, road rage, and much more. It is impossible to stay away from all of these dangers, but you can greatly lower that chance of them happening to you by being smart about your driving. Drive defensively, don’t drive when tired, under the influence of any mind-altering substance, angry, depressed, or in any distressed state of mind. Put the phone away, and focus on the road and the drivers around you. Do not risk the safety of yourself and others and drive safe.