Although advances in car safety technology have made vehicles safer for drivers, certain factors combined with human error continue to result in car accidents that result in serious injuries and fatalities. Actually, in certain cases the term ‘car accident’ can be a misnomer because some of the ‘accidents’ can be avoided. Below are some of the most common causes of car accidents perpetrated by drivers all over the world.

Speeding

While law enforcement officers continue to crack down on lead-footed drivers, speeding continues to be a common cause of car crashes. According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), the cost to society incurred by speed-related auto accidents is estimated to be around $40.4 billion per year, and recent studies show that speeding was the cause of 31% of all recorded fatal crashes.

Speeding reduces a driver’s ability to approach and adjust to curves or objects in the road. It also increases the distance a vehicle travels while a driver reacts to a potentially dangerous situation, as well as increasing the distance necessary to stop a vehicle. Statistics compiled by the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS), when speed increases from 40 to 60 mph, the energy released in a car crash doubles. It is best to slow down and adhere to posted speed limits to make the road safer for you and other drivers.

Driver Inattention

Although new legislation supporting a ban on talking and texting on cell phones that are not hands-free has been passed in some states and is underway in others, distractions such as these continue to be a leading cause of car accidents. Recent statistics show that talking on a cell phone while driving quadruples the risk of being involved in a car crash. Statistics released by the NHTSA also show that the use of a wireless device while driving is the number one source of driver inattention.

Other studies have shown that: distraction from hand-held or hands-free cell phone use extends a drivers reaction time as much as having a blood alcohol concentration at the legal limit of .08 percent; drivers using cell phones are four times as likely to be involved in a car accident serious enough to injure themselves; 10% of drivers ages 16-24 are on their cell phone at any given time; driving while using a cell phone reduces the amount of brain activity associated with driving by 37%.

There are other causes of car accidents by distracted drivers as well. ‘Rubbernecking’ or slowing down to look at an accident, accounts for 16% of all distraction-related accidents. Other causes include driver fatigue (12%); being distracted by surrounding scenery (10%); children or other passengers (9%); adjusting your stereo (7%); reading while driving (2%). The fact that driving while distracted is a factor in 25% of police-reported crashes should be enough to keep you concentrated on the road.

Drunk Driving

NHTSA show that, on average, someone is involved in a fatal auto accident every 45 minutes in the U.S. For drivers under the age of 21, 4 young people die every day due to alcohol-impaired car accidents. Although these statistics are sobering, driving while impaired continues to claim lives.

DUI penalties may be stiff, but in 2009, 68% of drivers involved in alcohol-related car crashes had a blood alcohol level (BAC) of .15 or higher, with 3% having had a prior DUI conviction within the past three years. Moreover, 44% of drivers involved in a fatal crash with a prior DUI conviction in the past three years had a BAC level of 0.15 or higher. Compared with drivers who have not consumed alcohol, drivers with BACs of 0.15 or higher are 380 times more likely to be involved in a single-vehicle fatal car crash than a non-drinking driver. The easiest way to avoid becoming a drunk-driving statistic is simply not to drink and drive. If you go out and plan to drink, pair up with a designated driver or arrange for a cab in advance to pick you up at the end of the night. Or stay home.

Road Rage

Displaying aggressive behavior while behind the wheel is also a common cause of car accidents. Road rage includes behaviors such as rude gestures, changing lanes frequently, aggressive tailgating, deliberately preventing another driver from passing, flashing your lights at other drivers, failure to regard right-of-way signs, and disregarding traffic signals, among others. According to the NHTSA, if you encounter someone displaying road rage, keep your distance, remain calm, change lanes or pass the other driver only if necessary, do not respond with aggressive driving of your own, and definitely call 911 if the situation escalates. Drivers between the age 16-24 display aggressive responses 67% of the time as opposed to drivers 65 or older (30%). Cell phone users are display aggressive behavior 59% of the time versus drivers that don’t talk while driving ( 39%). Road rage can turn deadly quickly, so it is best to reamin calm if someone cuts you off, honks, etc. These behaviors are not worth being involved in a serious car accident.

Fatigue

According to the U.S. National Traffic Safety Administration, fatigued drivers account for nearly 1000,000 accidents every year in the U.S. Eleven p.m. to eight a.m. is when the risk of being involved in a serious car accident is the highest. To avoid fatigue-related car accidents, it is best to make sure you have gotten a good night’s sleep and are well-rested before driving. Other tips to avoid accidents include: sharing the driving whenever possible, taking a break every two hours or so, avoid long drives after work, avoid ANY drinking before driving, pulling over if loss of concentration, drowsiness, or irritation occurs, and avoid taking any medications that might cause fatigue before driving. Also, if taking a long trip, try to choose a route that has well-lit rest stops along the way that you can pull into if fatigue persists.