Around 10 million people in America are involved in car accidents every year, and according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention car accidents are the leading cause of death among teenagers. To help you know what causes car accidents so that you can prevent them, here are five of the top causes of car accidents:
- Distracted Driving: Around 98 percent of car accidents involve a distracted driver. Especially with smartphones, it’s easy to lose focus on the roadway while wanting to read emails, update your status or text. Other common driving distractions are adjusting the radio, eating, talking to passengers or putting on makeup.
- Reckless Driving: Speeding causes around one-third of all car accidents in America. The faster your car is going, the more likely you will get in a deadly accident. Other dangerous driving behaviors that lead to car accidents include unsafe lane changes, tailgating, not using turn signals and failing to yield to the right of way.
- Equipment Failure: Many times car accidents occur because of a tire blow out, loss of brakes or steering and suspension failure. Sometimes these problems occur because drivers didn’t take care of their cars well, but other times it is due to the negligence of the car company for failing to meet safety standards.
- Drunk Driving: Mothers Against Drunk Driving estimates that 300,000 incidents of drunk driving occur every day. All drunk driving accidents could have been prevented if the drunk driver had a designated driver, took a taxi or chose not to get drunk that night.
- Roadways: Sometimes roads are not maintained well by the city or state, which leads to tragic car accidents. Some of the ways these car accidents occur include roadway debris, faded road signs, potholes and roadway construction.
Car accidents usually occur due to the negligence of someone else. If you or a loved one were the victim of a car accident, you deserve justice and compensation. Contact the Texas car accident attorneys at the Law Offices of W.T. Johnson today and set-up your free, no-obligation consultation.
