It is estimated that each year, more than 30,000 people die in car accidents in the United States. As a consequence of the September 11 attacks, 2606 people died.
An event that we rightly consider to be tragic kills less than 10% of people than something that occurs every year. Sure, you could argue that the context is crucial – and you would be right. It doesn’t mean, though, that there is nothing that we can do about it. In a second, you’ll learn what the most common causes of car accidents are. Let’s go!
Sleep deprivation
We often hear that drunk driving can lead to catastrophic results. It is true, but there is something which is just as fatal: it’s driving while not having a proper night of sleep. It is difficult to measure how many people die each year on roads due to not having a good night of sleep.
Why? If someone falls asleep behind the wheel, then it is a pretty obvious sign that this person did not get enough sleep recently.
You are entitled to know and exercise your rights. For example, you can consult a Fresno truck accident attorney to find out more if you would like further information about what to do after a truck accident.
How do you spot the difference between the momentary lapse of concentration caused by a lack of sleep and reckless driving? You don’t need to outright fall asleep behind the wheel to cause an accident.
If you are sleepy, your mind won’t be able to process the information effectively, which could affect your driving skills.
RELATED: 8 Ways To Improve Quality of Sleep
We see a lot of social campaigns about the dangers of drunk driving, which is understandable, but we often ignore the fact that driving without proper rest can be just as dangerous. If you are going back home after a night full of partying, even if you are sure that you are not drunk, you might discover that the effects are the same, and suddenly, you need a Las Vegas car accident lawyer.
The studies have shown that if you haven’t slept in 17 hours, then your cognitive performance is just as impaired as if you had a blood alcohol concentration of 0,05%.
RELATED: What are the benefits of hiring a car accident lawyer?
Driving under the influence
Another common cause of accidents on the road is drunk driving. It’s the cause about which we are most often warned about, though it doesn’t mean that it is something rare.
In 2018, slightly more than 1 million people in the United States were arrested for driving under the influence of alcohol or drugs. It is too often that we think that we are just fine, whereas, in reality, our cognitive performance is severely impaired.
Even if it’s just a short ride, it is impossible to predict everything that could happen. A pedestrian might cross the road recklessly, and those fractions of a second might be the difference between life and death.
When you think about it, we drive gigantic machines at fast speeds, often not even meters apart from each other. If you want to avoid making fatal mistakes, you shouldn’t get behind the wheel if you are drunk.
This can often result in needing car insurance with convictions. Be sure to look for a company that is able to cover the majority of convictions and able to shop the market and secure affordable car insurance policies for you.
RELATED: How to Talk to Your Partner About Going to Alcohol Rehab
Distracted driving
Paying attention to what happens on the road might be difficult during long trips. You don’t need to be sleepy or drunk to get distracted. The boredom might be the culprit as well. There can be plenty of reasons behind distracted driving, all you need is to be familiar with them and remain concerned. If you are eager to know some other possible reasons for it, then find here more and see how you can save yourself from distracted driving cases. It seems that every year our attachment to smartphones grows stronger.
It is becoming increasingly more difficult to avoid checking if you don’t have any new messages. A quick text message to your friend wouldn’t hurt, right?
Wrong! If you are intoxicated or did not get enough sleep, then your reaction times are impaired. If you are well-rested, but your entire attention is focused on your smartphone, and not on the road, then you might not react at all.
RELATED: Tips to Reduce Distracted Driving
Unfortunately, it looks like we are fighting a losing battle. Nowadays, kids cannot stay away from their smartphones, even for 30 minutes. It seems that roads will become much more dangerous when they grow up. Hopefully, self-driving cars will become the norm by then.
Imperfect creatures
Though we might think that car accidents only happen to people who are truly reckless, the truth is, it is not that difficult to find yourself in such a situation. You might not be getting enough sleep, or perhaps you’ve had just one drink. Perhaps it is true those factors don’t change much. Unfortunately, this small difference could sometimes have tragic consequences.
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