5 Negligent Causes of Car Accidents
Getting involved with a car accident is never a pleasant experience. It can leave you financially and physically hut, no matter how minor it may be. In order to avoid these issues though, you need to know what to watch out for. Your negligence or the negligence of someone else on the road could easily lead to a collision. Here are some common causes of car accidents that you can look for and avoid on the road.
Cell Phones
Cell phones are incredibly convenient to have, but they can also be very distracting. Talking on the phone is hard enough because it requires the use of your hands, your mind, or both. You need those for the road. When you mix in the potential to text and check emails though, you need to prepare yourself for disaster. Without a doubt, cell phones are some of the most common distractions that lead to car accidents. Don’t touch yours until you get off the road, and avoid driving by anyone who has his or hers out.
Speed
In the chaotic world we live in, you may be tempted to speed straight through to your destinations. You need to focus on the speed limits instead though, as they are guidelines that allot proper stopping time for you. If you’re coming up to a residential stop sign at 70 miles per hour, you may not have time to stop for the pedestrians crossing the road. Your negligence could cost someone else his life.
Food
No one likes eating on the road, but a lot of people do that for a lack of time. It’s hard to cram driving and eating time into a 40 minute lunch break, especially if you live in a large city. If you have to eat in the car, try to get something that you can put in your mouth without holding it in your hands. For instance, you could eat nuggets or fries because you can just pop them into your mouth. You can’t do that with a double cheeseburger.
Music
There is nothing wrong with listening to loud music at home, but you need to be careful about doing that in your car. The music can become a serious noise distraction, preventing you from hearing car horns, sirens, and people screaming from the street. Keep your music down to the point that you can clearly hear the world outside your window. Then you’ll be more aware of a potential accident.
Rage
Road rage may be the biggest cause of all, since it forces you to lose all common sense about what to do behind the wheel. The moment you feel the need to ram someone else’s car or run him off the road, calm yourself and take a secondary route. Your anger is not worth the personal injury claim to come against you in the future.
Look for all of the actions above, either in yourself or in other drivers. Then you can address or avoid them to stay safe in the car.
Michelle Zabriski loves blogging, spending time with her family, and researching Utah law firms such as Handy and Handy. You can typically find her riding her mountainbike in the hills above Salt Lake City.