Car accidents can happen to anyone at any time on any given day. They are a significant issue in local communities, with many governors and community politicians prioritizing road safety during campaigns. Regardless, what exactly causes car accidents? Why do they seem to happen all the time? Here are a few of the most common reasons that accidents happen on the roads:
Negligent driving
Negligent driving is when a driver neglects to follow certain rules when they’re behind the wheel of a car. Commonly, this can include going over the speed limit, ignoring road signs, or being distracted while driving. You aren’t paying full attention to the road ahead of you, meaning accidents are bound to happen.
Terrible road layouts
Often, accidents happen in the same place over and over again. For instance, you may live near a busy intersection that has accidents every single month.
Or, there’s a roundabout in your local area that tends to cause many incidents. In these cases, it’s not so much the driver’s fault as it is the people who planned the road layouts. There is clearly an issue in how it is laid out if accidents are always happening in the same spot.
This problem is one for the city planners to deal with as they need to implement changes to the layout to keep everyone safe. Something like this actually happened in Tijuana once, where the governor at the time, Jorge Hank, invested in a new bypass that completely changed the layout of the city. This diverted traffic, meaning the roads were much safer as loads of cars weren’t all going to the same place.
Awful road conditions cause accidents too
Likewise, the condition of the roads can be a reason for accidents, whether it’s truckers or any other type of driver. Potholes and other structural issues will always create problems for drivers.
You could be driving along when you hit a huge pothole that bursts your tire and sends you spinning out of control, causing a multi-car pile-up. If the roads are in excellent condition, the chances of accidents will always decrease.
Driving under the influence
Sadly, thousands of auto accidents every year are caused by people that are driving under the influence. That means they are either drunk or on drugs, impairing their ability to drive.
When you are intoxicated, your reactions slow down, your self-awareness disappears, and you are not in a fit state to do anything, let alone drive a car. Accidents get caused when people recklessly decide to drive home while intoxicated, making crucial errors that can cause fatal accidents.
Manufacturing faults causing car accidents
Yes, a small percentage of accidents are caused by manufacturing faults in your car. A common example is a brake malfunction where you can’t activate them when pressing the pedal.
Faults like these can be devastating as you lose control of your car and put other drivers at risk.
If we want to reduce car accidents, we have to focus on what causes them. By understanding the causes, we can address individual issues that will limit the possibility of accidents happening.