Car accidents occur every day. No matter the severity of the collision itself, every car crash has the potential to impact the people involved emotionally, mentally and physically. That is why it is important to understand what causes collisions and how best to avoid collisions. Driving in a lawful and prudent manner is the best way you can ensure you are not involved in a preventable collision. Also, driving defensively can help you react to other drivers and conditions on the roadway.
Before identifying the most common causes of motor vehicle collision, let’s first go over some interesting statistics regarding car collisions. According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (“NHTSA”), “[t]here were 36,096 fatalities in motor vehicle crashes in 2019. This represents a decrease of 739 (down 2 percent) from the reported 36,835 fatalities in 2018, even though vehicle miles traveled (VMT) increased by 0.8 percent.” The NHTSA calculated that those figures create a fatality rate of 1.10 fatalities per 100 million vehicle miles traveled. Furthermore, according to Driving Tests, there are approximately six million motor vehicle collisions per year in the United States and about two million drivers involved in car collisions experience permanent injuries every year.
That leads us to the question: What are the most common causes of motor vehicle collisions? According to the National Law Review, the most common causes of motor vehicle collisions are: distractions, fatigue/drowsiness, impairment and speeding. These causes should not come as a surprise to you. Any of these factors can create extremely dangerous situations on the roadway. Thus, it is crucial you do everything in your power to focus completely on the roadway and not allow any device or person distract you while you operate a motor vehicle. Additionally, if you feel unfit to operate a motor vehicle, for any reason, you should ask someone else to drive or find other means to get to your destination. It is not worth the risk to operate a motor vehicle when you feel you cannot place 100 percent of your attention on the roadway.
In a continuously changing world, it seems motor vehicle collisions are a constant. There are many factors that contribute to motor vehicle collisions, but that does not mean the number of motor vehicle collision each year cannot be lowered. Every year millions of motor vehicle collisions occur, which substantially impacts the lives of many. It is important you do your part to lower the number of motor vehicle crashes that happen each year. Remember, the next time you are in your vehicle focus on what you are doing, be attentive and drive safely.
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