Auto collisions happen several times a day, all over the world. While some of these incidents happen as the result of rare freak occurrences, there are usually a number of factors that come into play, and are found to be at the root of the accident. To make sure you’re as safe as possible on the road, it can pay to understand a few of the common causes of collisions, and what you can do to avoid them…
Rear Enders
Rear-enders are very rarely lethal, or even all that serious. If you have to take some impact to your car, it’s better for it to come from the front or the back than anywhere else. According to NHTSA data, this kind of incident accounts for almost a third of all auto accidents. In over half of these cases, these collisions are caused by one of the drivers taking their attention off the road while driving. Call an experienced auto accident lawyer, and they’ll tell you they’ve had countless cases that could have been avoided if one or more drivers were paying closer attention. When drivers try to keep focussed on the road, all the while trying to swat a bug on the windscreen, send a text, or fiddle with the infotainment system, they take their eyes off the road, causing a major risk to themselves and everyone else.
Hydroplaning
Any time you drive through a body of standing water, your tires have to be constantly pushing it out of the way in order to maintain contact with the road. Modern tire treads are designed to create a path for the water to be diverted away from the point where rubber makes contact with the road. If you’re driving so fast that the water can’t be pushed out of the way fast enough, then a thin layer will stay between the tyres and the road surface, causing the driver to lose control of their car. This is known as hydroplaning, and has accounted for countless deaths over the years. To make sure you avoid hydroplaning, you need to make a point of driving slowly directly after a lot of rain, especially when you’re passing through standing water. You also need to check your tire treads regularly to ensure they’re not getting too worn down.
T-Boning
Side-impact crashes are one of the most dangerous types of collision possible, and account for a sizable proportion of all driver and occupant deaths in the US and other developed countries. A lot of these road fatalities are caused by T-bones, where one driver has failed to stop when another vehicle had priority. While the front and rear of a car are well-equipped to crumple and absorb the impact of a crash, the sides of a car are much less protected. There’s simply less space to absorb the massive energy of a speeding car, and shield the passengers inside. Unfortunately, there isn’t much you can do to avoid these in terms of driving, but buying a car with side airbags can make all the difference in a crash.
