How to Prevent the 5 Most Common Types of Car Accidents
Accidents are there and happening too often, but some of these accidents can be prevented or avoided. Car accidents occur every day, and most of them are collisions. If you are not careful, in a split second, your car can be totaled due to a minor mistake. When it comes to vehicle crashes, history has continued to repeat itself as the same causes are repeated over and over again. It’s important to learn ways to prevent these common types of car accidents, to keep yourself safe.
- Rear-End Collisions
This is a car accident whereby your car crashes into the back of the front car. It is common in roads with heavy traffic while one vehicle is tailgating the other, the front vehicle might hit brakes, and the other one fails to react immediately enough to avoid colliding. This type of collision may cause personal injuries like whiplash, which are too expensive to treat. Unluckily, these rear-end crashes are caused by aggressive or distracted drivers and could be prevented.
According to the NHTA states, more than 29% of the car accidents on the road are rear-ended collisions. Rear-ends are commonly found on the heavy-traffic, highway off-ramps, highways, and intersections.
Moreover, 89% of these crashes occur when the driver is distracted on the phone, chatting with passengers, drinking or eating, and making changes to the radio. To prevent this, you must deter yourself from distracted driving by setting your music before takeoff, changing your phone to driving mode to focus on the road only.
- T-Bone Accidents
In these types of crashes, the front of a car collides with another car’s side. This often happens in four-way intersections where traffic can cross from any side. Again these crashes are commonly caused by drivers trying to avoid stop signs or red lights or attempting to turn left without yielding to oncoming traffic. These side-impact collisions can cause major injuries regardless of the collision speed or where the car was hit.
However, you minimize your chances of getting involved in such accidents by obeying all the road signs. It would be best if you stopped at all stop signs and red lights. Also, ensure you check both ways for any oncoming vehicles at all intersections. According to reports from the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety, this kind of car crash causes at least 27% of the passenger deaths.
- Merging Accidents
It is also called sideswipe, which occurs when cars are merging into one lane. The merging driver fails to check their blind spot to see if other vehicles are approaching before they attempt to change the routes. You should always be a little more cautious when changing lanes and make sure to check your blind spot before you make a move. Also, do not speed on roads where other cars are trying to merge. If you are connecting, you have to slow down to make a smooth merge, as this allows you enough time to maneuver to avoid a car crash.
- Low-speed crashes
These are car crashes that occur with the involved vehicles driving at 10 mph. These accidents occur mainly in the parking lots, residential areas, and driveways. The collisions may involve pedestrians or other vehicles. Regardless of the traveling speed, these accidents can result in severe injuries or damage to the cars. Pedestrians, passengers, and drivers can suffer severe injuries that require expensive medical treatment.
Additionally, if you are backing out of a parking space, ensure to check behind for oncoming vehicles. It would be best if you didn’t rely on your backup cameras or mirrors only. If you’re in a residential area, ensure you watch for pedestrians and obey the speed limit, especially at night.
- Head-on collision
This is a very dangerous type of car crash because it is likely to result in death or severe injuries. It is a type of car accident that occurs when a car swerves into an oncoming vehicle. You could also find a different case where the driver was heading the wrong way on the major roads or highways. Besides, there is a head-on collision with fixed objects like lamps and signposts, construction equipment, and trees.
However, this type of crash can be prevented by ensuring you never drive while drowsy, distracted, or impaired.
Wrap Up
Although these are the common types of car accidents happening, it does not mean they will happen to you, so try to stay safe. You should ensure you follow all the road signs and don’t drive when tired, distracted, or drunk. These are some of the major causes of these common types of crashes.
https://www.pilawyers.com/blog/whiplash-injury-claim/
https://www.metromile.com/blog/common-vehicle-collision-tips-avoiding/