5 Common Causes of Car Accidents
Car accidents happen every day and it’s important that drivers understand this risk and how to avoid them to ensure the safety of our streets. One of the simplest ways to avoid car accidents is to understand where and when they most commonly occur and take necessary precautions in those situations. Here are five common causes of car accidents and how you can avoid them.
- Hitting a parked car – This may seem a bit odd, but striking parked vehicles makes up one of the biggest portions of all accidents. Ensure that you look around when backing up or making tight turns and try not to rely entirely on your mirrors.
- Rear-end collisions – These collisions account for roughly 29 percent of all accidents and often occur when people are driving distracted. Put down your phone, your food and your makeup and pay attention to ensure the safety of yourself and others on the road.
- Side collisions –These, including T-bones and sideswipes, account for around 27 percent of all collisions. Always follow the rules of the road. Check both directions of traffic, ensure you have the right of way before crossing the path of another driver and always follow posted speed limits.
- Hydroplaning – This may sound uncommon, but anytime the roadways get wet, drivers are at an increased risk of losing control of their vehicle. Hydroplaning occurs when cars begin to skid across standing water. It can be avoided by reducing your speed whenever passing through roadways covered in water
- Animals – Wild animals are often crossing roadways and don’t see vehicles coming. Animals of bigger sizes can cause significant damage to vehicles and harm to drivers. To ensure your safety, be aware of animals on the roadways and follow the speed limit to make sure you have enough time to stop should something jump out in front of you.
Avoiding car accidents often times comes down to simple common sense and following traffic laws. Give the road your undivided attention and ensure you don’t drive distracted to keep yourself and others safe. If you or a loved one has been injured in car accident, please reach out to the skilled attorneys at Hupy and Abraham. Our offices can be reached at 800-800-5678 or online at hupy.com.
For more information visit www.hupy.com