If you are the victim in a car accident, you want to take the necessary steps to hold someone liable for your damages. However, one of the factors in showing liability is causation, meaning you must show that the person’s negligence caused you to suffer your accident and subsequent harm.
While you should have a clear understanding of what occurred in your specific crash, you also want to keep in mind some of the most common causes of car crashes. Below, we’ll talk about the top five causes of car accidents, what to look for, and what you can do to take legal action after a collision occurs.
The top five causes of car accidents include:
- Intoxication
- Speeding
- Distractions
- Recklessness
- Bad weather
Call our firm today at (318) 625-6262 to learn more about your rights.
Intoxication
Drunk driving is one of the worst actions drivers can do on the road. Intoxication can significantly impact someone’s cognitive ability, motor function, vision, and decision-making. Yet, as dangerous as it is, so many people do it and cause significant harm on the road.
Whenever someone is drinking and driving, they swerve between lanes, speed, brake erratically, and follow too closely. Unfortunately, drunk driving leads to some of the most catastrophic injuries, and you can hold the responsible driver accountable.
Speeding
Far too often, drivers ignore posted speed limits because they feel the need to get to their destination quicker. Speeding can be one of the biggest issues, though, as many drivers do it in traffic or at intersections, and it can lead to some of the worst accidents.
Speeding can lead to significant crashes, especially in head-on, rear-end, or T-bone collisions. These types of accidents can lead to brain injuries, broken bones, spinal cord damage, and many other catastrophic injuries.
Distractions
Distractions come in three forms: cognitive, visual, and manual. Cognitive distractions mean you’re not focusing on driving. Visual distractions take your eyes off the road, such as texting or looking at your passengers. Manual distractions cause you to take at least one hand off the steering wheel. Whenever someone else is distracted, it can be one of the most dangerous things on the road.
Recklessness
Recklessness can occur when someone ignores the traffic laws, such as red lights, stop signs, and other signals. For instance, if someone doesn’t yield to a stop sign and runs it when it’s your right of way, they could collide right into you.
Recklessness can constitute any of the above, as well as actions such as drowsy driving, which can be just as dangerous as the other negligent acts.
Bad Weather
Far too often, people don’t know how to drive in bad weather in ways that can help keep them safe. They drive too fast for the conditions when rain makes the ground slippery and fog reduces visibility. Bad weather conditions are not an excuse for someone’s oversight. Someone can still be held accountable in a car accident, and you may be able to pursue compensation for your damages.
At Parker Alexander, we know how dangerous actions on the road can lead to catastrophic injuries. If you suffer an injury because of someone else’s actions, you should know what your rights are to move forward with legal action. Trust that we know what it takes to pursue justice and compensation following a crash.
Our Monroe car accident attorneys go above and beyond when you need us most. We’ll help you understand how the legal process works and what is needed to go through filing a claim or lawsuit. We won’t back down when your rights depend on it most.
Call our firm today at (318) 625-6262 to discuss your case with our team and to learn your rights in a free consultation.