Common Causes of Car Accidents

cartwrightlaw - March 23, 2023 -

If you or a loved one has ever experienced a car accident, you may have wondered, “Why me?” In other words, you might have wanted to know what you did to cause the accident or whether you were just at the wrong place at the wrong time. Car accidents have various causes involving many different parties. 

Below are some of the most common causes of crashes in California. To discuss your specific legal options, speak with a car accident attorney. 

Distracted Driving

Unfortunately, distracted driving is probably the fastest-growing cause of car accidents. Many of us seem to think on some level that while it’s impossible for everyone else to drive while texting, eating, putting on makeup, and adjusting the sound system and navigation, we ourselves can easily do so. Looking at a text while traveling at 55 miles per hour allows enough time to traverse a football field, more than enough time to hit a pedestrian or run into another car. At least when it comes to driving, the human brain is not very good at multitasking. That’s why most states and many cities have made at least some forms of distracted driving illegal.

Drunk and Impaired Driving

Although severe penalties and societal pressure have significantly reduced the incidence of drunk driving accidents, nearly one in three accidents, according to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), involves impaired drivers. The use of illegal drugs and the addition of legal cannabis to the mix has increased the number of impaired drivers on the roads. Cannabis has many of the same detriments as alcohol, but it also interferes with the perception of time and thus can materially affect the results of an accident. Yet, two out of three impaired drivers survive the accidents they cause. There continue to be over 10,000 Americans dying each year as a consequence of drunk driving. 

Driving While Fatigued

Driving while excessively tired or drowsy presents many of the same risks as driving under the influence. Reaction times are slower, and decision-making and judgment are impaired. Driving while drowsy makes it more difficult for the driver to focus on driving and can even result in falling asleep at the wheel. Usually, drowsy driving results from a simple failure to get enough sleep, but it can result from untreated illness, prescription and over-the-counter drugs, and even alcohol, which actually makes the drowsiness even worse.

Speeding

Speeding is a factor in many traffic accidents. Running late to work is the most common excuse, but speeding greatly increases the risk of an accident. It reduces reaction time and decreases the effectiveness of safety devices like guardrails. Speeding also increases stopping distance, making it harder to avoid hitting whatever your vehicle is heading toward. According to the National Safety Council, speeding is a factor in 29 percent of traffic fatalities, killing more than 11,000 people in 2020. 

Reckless Driving

Many seemingly minor habits on the road can be reckless. Careless lane changes, disregarding the safety of others, and failing to follow cautionary procedures and rules are just a few characteristics of reckless driving. If you were in an accident and your insurance company or a court finds you to have been driving recklessly, you may have difficulty recovering from your accident.  

Aggressive Driving

Closely related to reckless driving, aggressive driving is the highway version of bullying. Aggressive drivers yell at others, make threatening or offensive gestures and comments and use their horns like a weapon. The aggressive nature of their driving creates risks to others that need not be present.

Ignoring Traffic Lights and Signs

Nearly 40 percent of car accidents happen at intersections. There are many reasons that that is true, but failing to obey a red light or a stop sign is the primary reason for that fact. In 2020, 928 people died, and 116,000 suffered injuries in accidents involving running a red light. Red light running is extremely common, sometimes happening several times an hour at a given intersection. Given the severe nature of the accidents that can occur from running a red light, such as T-boning another vehicle or striking a pedestrian, it is not surprising that fatalities and injuries are high.

Youth

Being a teenager is a common cause of accidents. Teenagers are inexperienced and easily distracted. Teenagers cause a relatively large proportion of accidents because they simply don’t know how to respond to new emergencies.  

Weather Conditions

Slippery roads from rain, snow, or ice affect tire traction, making it harder to stop and causing vehicles to hit others or slide off the road. Likewise, fog and wind speed can reduce visibility, as can driving snow in a heavy storm, making it difficult or impossible to see at a sufficient distance to react to problems. 

Driving After Dark

Driving at night doubles your risk of experiencing an accident. Visibility is limited, and seeing what is coming at you from the front or side isn’t easy. Night driving also contributes to and increases drowsy driving.  

Road Conditions

Like the weather, you cannot do much about road conditions. Construction is always going on somewhere, or it needs to be going on. Even if you drive safely for conditions, there is no guarantee that others will do so. Potholes, construction barriers, and construction equipment all contribute to the riskiness of the roads. 

Vehicle Defects

Finally, there are problems with your car itself. Sometimes with no warning and little chance to avoid it, a car will develop a problem that can potentially result in an accident. If your brakes or steering fail at a high rate of speed or in a crowded vehicle, there is little to nothing you can do to avoid the resulting accident.

Contact a California Auto Accident Attorney Today

Unfortunately, no matter how carefully you avoid the accident-causing factors discussed above, you are surrounded by drivers who probably didn’t avoid them. If you or a loved one sustained an injury in an accident resulting from one of these causes, contact an experienced motor vehicle accident attorney immediately. Let us help you recover from your injuries, regardless of the cause of your accident. 

Contact The Cartwright Law Firm, Inc. for an initial no-cost consultation and case evaluation today. We have convenient locations in Santa Rosa, Vacaville, and Discovery Bay to best serve Bay Area clients.

If you or a loved one has ever experienced a car accident, you may have wondered, “Why me?” In other words, you might have wanted to know what you did to cause the accident or whether you were just at the wrong place at the wrong time. Car accidents have various causes involving many different parties. 

Below are some of the most common causes of crashes in California. To discuss your specific legal options, speak with a car accident attorney. 

Distracted Driving

Unfortunately, distracted driving is probably the fastest-growing cause of car accidents. Many of us seem to think on some level that while it’s impossible for everyone else to drive while texting, eating, putting on makeup, and adjusting the sound system and navigation, we ourselves can easily do so. Looking at a text while traveling at 55 miles per hour allows enough time to traverse a football field, more than enough time to hit a pedestrian or run into another car. At least when it comes to driving, the human brain is not very good at multitasking. That’s why most states and many cities have made at least some forms of distracted driving illegal.

Drunk and Impaired Driving

Although severe penalties and societal pressure have significantly reduced the incidence of drunk driving accidents, nearly one in three accidents, according to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), involves impaired drivers. The use of illegal drugs and the addition of legal cannabis to the mix has increased the number of impaired drivers on the roads. Cannabis has many of the same detriments as alcohol, but it also interferes with the perception of time and thus can materially affect the results of an accident. Yet, two out of three impaired drivers survive the accidents they cause. There continue to be over 10,000 Americans dying each year as a consequence of drunk driving. 

Driving While Fatigued

Driving while excessively tired or drowsy presents many of the same risks as driving under the influence. Reaction times are slower, and decision-making and judgment are impaired. Driving while drowsy makes it more difficult for the driver to focus on driving and can even result in falling asleep at the wheel. Usually, drowsy driving results from a simple failure to get enough sleep, but it can result from untreated illness, prescription and over-the-counter drugs, and even alcohol, which actually makes the drowsiness even worse.

Speeding

Speeding is a factor in many traffic accidents. Running late to work is the most common excuse, but speeding greatly increases the risk of an accident. It reduces reaction time and decreases the effectiveness of safety devices like guardrails. Speeding also increases stopping distance, making it harder to avoid hitting whatever your vehicle is heading toward. According to the National Safety Council, speeding is a factor in 29 percent of traffic fatalities, killing more than 11,000 people in 2020. 

Reckless Driving

Many seemingly minor habits on the road can be reckless. Careless lane changes, disregarding the safety of others, and failing to follow cautionary procedures and rules are just a few characteristics of reckless driving. If you were in an accident and your insurance company or a court finds you to have been driving recklessly, you may have difficulty recovering from your accident.  

Aggressive Driving

Closely related to reckless driving, aggressive driving is the highway version of bullying. Aggressive drivers yell at others, make threatening or offensive gestures and comments and use their horns like a weapon. The aggressive nature of their driving creates risks to others that need not be present.

Ignoring Traffic Lights and Signs

Nearly 40 percent of car accidents happen at intersections. There are many reasons that that is true, but failing to obey a red light or a stop sign is the primary reason for that fact. In 2020, 928 people died, and 116,000 suffered injuries in accidents involving running a red light. Red light running is extremely common, sometimes happening several times an hour at a given intersection. Given the severe nature of the accidents that can occur from running a red light, such as T-boning another vehicle or striking a pedestrian, it is not surprising that fatalities and injuries are high.

Youth

Being a teenager is a common cause of accidents. Teenagers are inexperienced and easily distracted. Teenagers cause a relatively large proportion of accidents because they simply don’t know how to respond to new emergencies.  

Weather Conditions

Slippery roads from rain, snow, or ice affect tire traction, making it harder to stop and causing vehicles to hit others or slide off the road. Likewise, fog and wind speed can reduce visibility, as can driving snow in a heavy storm, making it difficult or impossible to see at a sufficient distance to react to problems. 

Driving After Dark

Driving at night doubles your risk of experiencing an accident. Visibility is limited, and seeing what is coming at you from the front or side isn’t easy. Night driving also contributes to and increases drowsy driving.  

Road Conditions

Like the weather, you cannot do much about road conditions. Construction is always going on somewhere, or it needs to be going on. Even if you drive safely for conditions, there is no guarantee that others will do so. Potholes, construction barriers, and construction equipment all contribute to the riskiness of the roads. 

Vehicle Defects

Finally, there are problems with your car itself. Sometimes with no warning and little chance to avoid it, a car will develop a problem that can potentially result in an accident. If your brakes or steering fail at a high rate of speed or in a crowded vehicle, there is little to nothing you can do to avoid the resulting accident.

Contact a California Auto Accident Attorney Today

Unfortunately, no matter how carefully you avoid the accident-causing factors discussed above, you are surrounded by drivers who probably didn’t avoid them. If you or a loved one sustained an injury in an accident resulting from one of these causes, contact an experienced motor vehicle accident attorney immediately. Let us help you recover from your injuries, regardless of the cause of your accident. 

Contact The Cartwright Law Firm, Inc. for an initial no-cost consultation and case evaluation today. We have convenient locations in Santa Rosa, Vacaville, and Discovery Bay to best serve Bay Area clients.

Our successful case results are a reflection of the values and virtues we believe in and uphold at Cartwright Law Firm. Nothing stops us from pursuing justice on behalf of those who need it.

Robert E. Cartwright Jr.
Founder and Managing Partner