Every year, according to the U.S. Census Bureau, over 10.8 million car accidents occur across the country. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration points out that more than 30,000 people lose their lives as a result of these accidents on an annual basis. In total, this results in a $1 trillion annual bill due to loss of life and productivity, to say nothing about medical and repair bills.
Those bills are often covered when a victim in an accident goes to court for a car accident injury claim. If they win their case, the at-fault driver can be made to pay car accident settlements, whether that means covering medical bills, repair bills, or loss of income. If you want to protect yourself from hiring accident injury attorneys, you need to educate yourself on how to avoid car accidents, starting by learning what the most common causes for these tragedies are.
Some of the Most Common Causes of Accidents in the United States
- The Big One: Speeding
- Texting While Driving
- Driving Under the Influence
As Avvo.com writes, the number one cause of accidents and resultant car accident injury claims in the United States is excessive speed. A full 40% of all car accidents in the U.S. are caused by some jerk who is too impatient to drive the speed limit. Here’s a tip: your life and your errands aren’t any more important than anyone else’s. Do yourself and other drivers a favor and drive at a sensible speed. It could mean your life.
As mobile phone technology has become more affordable, it’s also become more of a headache for anyone looking to get to and from work safely. Car accidents caused by texting while driving have continued to increase over the last few years and many estimate they’ll do the same for the foreseeable future. As Drivers.com points out, you’re 23-times more likely to be involved in an accident when you’re trying to text while you drive. Here’s the thing: whatever that text message says, it can wait. It’s not going to mean a thing, anyway, if you wind up driving head on into another car.
Of all the causes of car accidents, drunk driving is probably the most infuriating, because it takes so many lives every year while being 100% avoidable. According to the Mothers Against Drunk Driving, one person is killed every 53 minutes in the United States by a drunk driver. Think about that; in a given day, more than 24 people lose their lives because people can’t be bothered to act like responsible adults. If you want to save others, yourself, and avoid some serious jail time in the process, stay away from the bottle when you know you have to drive.
Remember that these are just the most common causes of accidents and the resultant endeavors to seek out car accident compensation in the United States. Mechanical failure, inclement weather — there are plenty of circumstances which lead to accidents that you simply can’t control. Just keep those you can control in mind to avoid a costly mistake that could leave you having to deal with a car accident injury claim. More like this article.