What Are The Most Common Causes of Car Accidents?
Car accidents are frequently the result of:
- Speeding. For more than 20 years, speeding has been involved in about one-third of all motor vehicle fatalities. (NHTSA)
- Cell phone use. 1 in 4 drivers used a cell phone right before they were involved in a crash. (CM Telematics)
- Texting while driving. Sending or reading a text takes your eyes off the road for 5 seconds. At 55 mph, that’s like driving the length of an entire football field with your eyes closed. (NHTSA)
- Reckless driving. Aggressive drivers cause more than 50% of the nearly 5 million car crashes that occur in the U.S. every year. (TeenSafe)
- Drunk driving. Alcohol-impaired driving accounts for more than 30% of all yearly driving fatalities. (NIAAA)
- Defective auto products. 7,229 passenger vehicle occupants died in rollover crashes in 2017, 27% of which did not involve any other impact. (IIHS)
- Poor vehicle crashworthiness. Since 1975, truck occupant deaths have risen 20% and SUV occupant deaths are more than 10 times as high. (IIHS)
