No one drives their car expecting to cause or be involved in a car accident, but serious car accidents happen every day. What causes the most car accidents, and what is considered a serious car accident? If you’ve been in or witnessed a serious accident, you know you have options in terms of compensation.
Before you look into where you can get legal advice for car accidents in Columbia, South Carolina, or where to hire a Columbia car accident attorney, you need to understand what causes most accidents on the road.
If drivers understand the main causes of car accidents, they can avoid them and reduce the number of accidents on our roads daily. Surprisingly, the main causes of serious road accidents are simple mistakes that almost every driver is aware of. Here are the common causes of most car accidents in Columbia, South Carolina:
Distractions
Distractions while driving can be deadly because you don’t have your complete attention on the road. For example, if you receive a text or a call on your cellphone while driving, your focus shifts to your phone. When your gaze or thoughts are on your cellular device, this inhibits your defensive driving abilities. You may not be aware of sudden traffic changes or unexpected obstacles, resulting in an accident.
You can also be distracted by your passengers or different items in your vehicle. These are simple mistakes that many drivers make on the road and end up causing severe accidents. Your only job when you are driving your car is to get to your destination safely. No phone call, text, or cheeseburger is more important than your life and that of others on the road.
Speeding
It’s disturbing to see drivers flying down the highways well above the speed limit. We’ve all witnessed drivers blasting past us on the highway, even when we’re driving past the recommended speed ourselves. Reckless drivers will drive ten to twenty miles over the recommended speed limit. What these drivers don’t seem to realize is that the faster you drive, the slower your reaction time.
Therefore, you could be speeding to your grave or wheelchair for the rest of your life. If the driver in front of you brakes suddenly and you’re driving twenty miles above the speed limit, it’s almost impossible to prevent your car from ramming into the other car. If you veer off the road, your car will likely overturn. Avoid these incidents by driving within the speed limit, and creating enough space between you and other cars to react to sudden traffic changes.
Drunk Driving/ Driving Under the Influence
Drunk driving or driving under the influence of substances, like some prescription medications, marijuana, etc., is responsible for many serious car accidents witnessed on South Carolina highways. If you drink beyond the recommended limit and get behind the wheel, you are a danger to yourself and others. Alcohol and other stupefying substances dull your senses and other cognitive functions, clouding your judgment and slowing down your reaction time.
Reckless Driving
Perhaps you’ve been a culprit of weaving in and out of traffic on a busy highway or you’ve witnessed another driver doing so. This is a perfect example of reckless driving, which, sadly, leads to grave repercussions and irreversible effects. If you notice another driver driving recklessly, the best you can do is back off and give them space or pull up to allow them to overtake you safely.
There’s nothing you can do to slow them down. Don’t put yourself at risk by engaging in a chase or trying to block them. Just stay out of their way and report them to the authorities.
Night Driving
Many drivers don’t realize that driving at night increases the risk of serious road accidents by almost double. Nighttime also causes some drivers to become dizzy, drowsy, or aggravate visual impairments, such as astigmatism. It’s very difficult to be aware of everything that’s happening around you at night because you can’t see all the corners of your vehicle.
Running Red Lights
Some of the worst car accidents happen at intersections. When the light turns yellow, don’t try to rush through the intersection because it can confuse other drivers. Unfortunately, some drivers assume that they have enough time to cross the intersection before the light turns red, resulting in serious collisions.
Road and Car Design Defects
Your chances of getting involved in a road accident when driving on a poorly designed road are very high, especially if you’re not focused or you like driving recklessly. Some cars have design defects that make them risky to drive because they have multiple black spots or the tendency to tip over.
In Summary
Many car accidents are avoidable if you’re attentive and practice defensive driving when behind the wheel. For those that do occur, be sure to seek advice from experienced car accident lawyers, like those at Strom Law.
