According to statistics from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), each and every day in the United States of America there are 90 fatal car accidents, which added together over the course of a year equates to 32,850 deaths.
Although these crashes do typically involve multiple different cars, they can and do also sometimes involve just a single vehicle also. Fatalities are not always instantaneous and can actually happen sometime later as a direct result of the injuries that they sustained during the car accident.
A personal injury solicitor is a legal professional who specializes in representing people in cases where they have been injured or lost their loved ones. Personal injury solicitors are experts at dealing with the different aspects of an accident including the insurance company, the police and other parties involved. The Personal Injury Solicitors Association was established to create standards for personal injury solicitors so that clients can find reliable representatives when needed. If you’ve been involved in an accident and you’re located in England & Wales, why not contact Wafer Phillip Solicitors.
By understanding exactly the most Common Causes of Fatal Car Accidents, it can help you to avoid them happening to you yourself.
Driving whilst distracted
Being distracted whilst driving is a leading cause for fatal car accidents amongst 15 to 20 year olds. Distractions can come from many things, such as passengers in the car, the radio/music player, reaching for an item in the car, or using a cell phone. For this reason, it is illegal to use a cell phone whilst driving across many states in America. Using the hands free functionality is fine though.
Driving too fast
Traveling at excessive speed is another common contributor to fatal car accidents here in the United States of America. It is no surprise to anyone who has ever driven a car that the faster a vehicle is traveling at, the greater the chances that it will be involved in some sort of fatal accident. It is young men who are most likely to be driving their car at excessive speed rather than female drivers. Alcohol and drug misuse are contributory factors as to why some drivers choose to speed.
Other causes
Whilst driving whilst distracted and driving too fast are two of the most common causes of fatal car accidents, there are, in fact, a number of other causes which should not be overlooked. These include driving during poor weather conditions, driving in the dark, driving a vehicle that is not safe, driving whilst not wearing a seatbelt, driving whilst tired, and driving after consuming alcohol and/or drugs.
You may also like to read: Top Safe Driving Tips For Winter
Preventing fatal car accidents
It is clear to see then that drivers should remain focused at all times whilst driving and that they should never drive too fast for the road condition. Research from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) shows that the vast majority of fatal car accidents occur at night time on the weekends when people are more likely to have had a drink and during the holiday season when people are driving long distances to visit family and friends. If you are driving at these times, you should be extra vigilant.
Other things that you can do to prevent your chances of being involved in a fatal accident include not driving in poor weather conditions, obeying all of the traffic laws and signals, turning off your cell phone, and never driving after you have had a drink of alcohol or after using recreational or some prescription drugs that make you feel drowsy.
