New reports have revealed the leading reason for a traffic accident. Some of these aren’t going to surprise you. It’s easy to underestimate just how vulnerable we are out on the road. But these causes are sure to make you think twice next time you get in the car with your family.
Distractions
Distractions can be anything. Many people believe that picking up the phone or holding it is the dangerous part of driving while using a cell phone. But that’s not the case. Research shows that the actual danger comes from holding a conversation with someone. This reduces your level of concentration by about twenty percent. While texting, pushes that number up to just over fifty. So, if you are on your phone sending a message you’re paying more attention to your phone than the road. But again, phones aren’t the only issues that cause distractions.
Arguing while driving can be just as bad. That’s why if you do find yourself in an argument with someone in the car, make sure you pull over. Don’t continue to drive until it’s resolved or everyone agrees to wait until you get home.
It might be that you have to deal with a problem with your child while driving. We’ve all had that horrible situation where our child has unbuckled their seat belt. If this happens, pull over immediately. Do not try to get the child to put it back on or worse, reach back and do it yourself.
Distractions can also occur when changing songs on the radio or even just trying to find a comfortable position. It’s something worth thinking about before you go out on the road.
Fatigue
Those signs on the side of the road don’t seem so silly now do they. This one is quite shocking. Surely people can tell when they’re too tired to drive. But perhaps this comes from the change in society as a whole. Everyone is desperate to get from point A to point B as quickly as possible. Sometimes we clearly do this at a detriment to our own health or the safety of anyone else on the car. One report revealed fatigue causes as much as twenty-five percent of accidents.
Drunk Driving
You can look at this two ways. Either you can be happy that fewer people are drinking and driving. Or, you can wonder how this can possibly be considering the amount of new stories we read each year. We’ll leave that up to you, but an estimated sixteen percent of accidents are still caused by drink drivers. Police believe this is due to the fact that many people don’t realize when they are over the limit. We’re all different and our bodies react differently to various quantities of alcohol. Some people will still be able to drive safely after one bottle of beer and won’t feel the effects. Others will have an exceedingly slow reaction time and will be putting everyone on the road in danger. For that reason, perhaps it’s best not to drink and drive at all. After all, if you can you want to avoid having to speak to a DUI attorney.
Speeding
Finally, we reach the cause we’re probably all most guilty of. Speeding may seem harmless. Particularly if you’re just a little over the limit. But there’s a reason it’s on this list. Taking a risk speeding is always dangerous, and we must do more to keep our speeds in check on the road.