You might be putting yourself — and your passengers — at greater risk every time you get behind the wheel. Probably you know that texting while driving is a big risk, but did you know distracted driving in general is a top cause of accidents in the United States?
A spokesperson for the American Automobile Association said research indicates up to half of all motor vehicle accidents involved a distracted driver. Activities that can distract you from driving include changing the radio station, eating while driving, looking at your surroundings too much, rubber necking and even talking with others in the vehicle.
After distracted driving come two more common reasons for accidents. One is drunk driving, which you undoubtedly know about. This one is easy to combat: Simply don’t get behind the wheel after having a drink. But the other common reason for auto accidents is fatigue. A sleepy driver is not a safe driver, but you can’t always take a nap before you head out for daily errands.
Speeding, aggressive driving, and poor weather conditions round out a top six list for common accident causes. These are all issues that you have some power over. You can choose not to speed or drive aggressively. When you can’t choose to avoid roads in bad weather, you can choose to drive as carefully as possible.
While you can help avoid an incident by avoiding some of the common reasons for auto accidents, you can’t make decisions for other people. That means there is always at least a little risk on the road. If you have suffered in an accident because of someone else’s negligent actions, then a New Jersey legal team might be able to help you seek compensation for your losses.
Source: Sixwise, “The 6 Most Common Causes of Automobile Crashes,” accessed March 04, 2016