You know that car accidents happen every day, but you might not be aware of just how common they are.
In fact, there are over 6 million recorded car accidents in the United States every year, and 90 people die every single day as a result of that staggering figure.
And somewhere in excess of 75% of such accidents are the result of driver error and nothing else.
Looking at those stark statistics we’re going to examine the most common causes of car accidents in North America.
Drunk Driving
Being in control of a car while under the influence of alcohol is the most common cause of car crashes, bar none. Even just one or two drinks are enough to cause massively reduced reaction times, impaired judgment and impaired vision. Drunk drivers are also far more likely to be involved in often fatal hit-and-run accidents, sometimes not even realizing they’ve struck another car or pedestrian. The correct amount of alcohol to drink before driving is zero.
Drug Driving
Contrary to popular and liberal opinion, ingesting or smoking any form of narcotics and then driving a car is extremely dangerous. This includes the use of recreational, and often now legal, drugs of any form. Again, your cognitive abilities and judgment are severely impaired in these situations, leading to entirely avoidable accidents.
Driving While Texting
There is a growing body of evidence to indicate that texting or using a smartphone while operating a vehicle is often more dangerous than driving while under the influence of alcohol. Experiments have shown that using a cell phone while driving can lead to more accidents than if you were over the legal alcohol limit.
Speeding
More young drivers are killed in car accidents due to speeding than anything else. This is typical of new and inexperienced drivers who are prime examples of the Dunning-Kruger Effect – they think they’re better drivers than they are. Bravado, combined with a lack of road sense, is why young drivers break speed limits, often with fatal results.
Distracted Driving
Modern drivers have to deal not only with other dangerous drivers, but a myriad of distractions within their own vehicle. More than 25% of all recorded car accidents are caused by distracted drivers, which is on a par with drunk driving.
Potential distractions include everything from their GPS navigation system, to digital radio and audio systems, movie streaming services, trying to eat or drink hot beverages while driving, rubbernecking, and even just problematic passengers. Any of these individual distractions is enough to cause that sudden lapse in judgment that will invariably lead to a car accident.
Falling Asleep
One very surprising statistic is that up to 20% of all car accidents are a result of driver fatigue. This is despite the ongoing campaigns advising drivers to drink coffee, leave a window down, but to also stop and rest every few hours. The fortunate survivors of such accidents always report afterwards that they don’t remember falling asleep, and only woke up after their car veered off the road.
Mechanical Defects
A smaller percentage of all car accidents are caused by mechanical faults in a car or truck. The most common points of failure are in the steering, tires and brakes of a vehicle, either because of a manufacturing flaw or a lack of maintenance and/or replacement on the part of the car owner.
Adverse Weather
Following close on the heels of drunk and distracted driving, are accidents caused by bad weather. This accounts for anywhere up to 21% of all vehicle crashes each year, or around 1.2 million individual accidents.