Most people never set out to be involved in an accident, especially when their vehicle is their pride and joy, and they don’t want to cause themselves or others harm. However, accidents happen, and you can’t always prevent them. In saying that, you might be more at risk if some of the following factors are involved.
Alcohol
Law firms like Gina Corena & Associates meet with car accident victims frequently who have been involved in accidents involving alcohol. Sometimes, vehicle operators drive under the influence of alcohol, which alters their driving ability and results in collisions.
According to a 2016 CDC report, alcohol accounted for 28% of all traffic-related deaths in the United States, with 10,497 people losing their lives in that year. Over one million drivers were arrested for driving under the influence in the same period. The NHTSA states that alcohol can reduce your ability to judge speed, vehicle movements, and distance.
Distractions
While it can be tempting to reach for a mobile device, a drink, or a snack to eat while driving, these are all actions that might put you at risk of a car accident. At least nine people die in car accidents in the United States every day with distracted drivers reportedly involved. Anything that takes your attention away from the road can be a distraction, such as children, other passengers, food, and mobile devices.
The three most common types of distraction are visual, manual, and cognitive. Visual distractions describe taking your eyes off the road, while manual distractions are when you take your hands off the wheel. You might also be cognitively distracted if your hands are on the wheel and your eyes are on the road, but your mind isn’t on driving.
Drugs
Being under the influence of alcohol is one of the leading causes of car accidents in the United States, but drugs aren’t far behind. Studies have found that 12.6 million people aged 16 or over have driven under the influence in a single year, and 43.6% of fatally injured drivers tested positive for drugs. At least half of those drivers had two or more drug types in their system.
The effects of drugs on your driving abilities can differ from one drug type to the next, depending on how they impact the brain. Some might slow your reaction time and impair your judgment, while others might cause you to become reckless, aggressive, drowsy, or dizzy.
Inexperience
The only way to gain experience driving is by doing it, but inexperience can be a risk factor in many accidents. If you don’t understand how to navigate particular driving conditions, you might be at a higher risk of an accident.
Some studies have shown that the crash rate involving teenagers is almost four times higher than drivers aged 20 and over per mile driven. Inexperience can sometimes mean that teenagers and those who haven’t been operating a vehicle for a long time don’t know how to respond to road hazards safely.
