Car accident is one of the primary causes of deaths in the United States since the turn of the 2000s. It accounts for hundreds of thousands of injuries annually. Car accidents also take 35, 000 deaths in the United States yearly. Factually speaking, traffic collisions are the leading cause of preventable deaths in the country.
Moreover, ages 18-24 are the most common victims of road accidents due to causes that are so common they should be expected to not have been taken for granted. But well, people try to push their limits and just because they are not caught red-handed would mean that they’ll just continue to do road violations.
Given these stats, do you want to be one of the statistics? These are the most common reasons why people get into car accidents.
1. Reckless driving. Not following traffic signs (whether conscious or not) is the leading cause of car accidents. People love to drive with unnecessary speed perhaps just to test the sharpness of their hand-eye coordination and even their agility. The bad news is that, reckless driving have been sending reckless drivers to the gates of paradise more frequent than victims of terminal illnesses do.
2. Texting while driving. The use of mobile phones has increased the level of road dangers since it proliferated in the society. As common type of driving distraction, the driver’s chances of coming out alive after a drive-by is reduced to 20% in every call received, responding to a text message and reading SMS while driving. As such, texting while driving is the most sanctioned offense in the country nowadays. See? We never learn.
3. Drunk Driving. People who drink think that everything gets better with alcohol. Well it does, temporarily but alcohol plus driving is an exception. Drunk driving increases a 100% chance of being in a road accident since it numbs the senses when taken without moderation. It also blurs perception and inhibits sharp decision making, inhibiting the driver to activate body reflexes for survival.
4. Rubber-necking. Another type of driving distraction is rubber-necking. It happens when drivers look at other things on the road that are not linked to driving. Some examples of this would be watching other road accidents, looking at sunsets and other scenic views. Most of the time, people get too stuck with the beauty they see outside that they forget to give focus on the wheel. So if you’re not the kind of driver with lesser ability for focus then do not try rubber-necking.
5. Poor weather conditions. The unpredictability of the road could cause a lot of vehicle damage and may even cost lives. Icy roads, intense winds, prolonged drought and incessant rains alter road texture and might require extensive tire pressure. With lack of knowledge in stocking car fluids, spare tires and the like, you might see divine light in a rather abrupt manner.
At the end of the day, you are left with the choice to either become one of the road accident statistics. It is our responsibility to control the wheel and follow road rules. Otherwise, be prepared to accept the repercussions.