6 Common Causes of Car Accidents in Southern California
With over 187,000 injury-causing collisions in California every year, figuring out why these accidents keep happening is an important part of making roads safer. Additionally, knowing the most common causes of traffic collisions can help you drive defensively and protect yourself on the road.
What happens if you’re hurt in a crash? You need to talk to a Southern California car accident lawyer who can fight for the compensation you deserve. At DeWitt Algorri & Algorri, we don’t tolerate insurance companies that take advantage of accident victims. We demand fair and full compensation for our clients. Call us at 855-WINNING (946-6464) now to set up a consultation.
Distracted Driving
Distracted driving is a serious problem across California, but it goes far beyond that. Among 2020 traffic fatalities across the United States, 8.1% were the result of distracted driving. Unfortunately, with cellphones becoming ever more interesting and easy to use, distractions are always waiting. On top of that, you still have all the standard distractions: the radio, other passengers, eating, drinking, and checking directions.
Driving While Fatigued or Impaired
Fatigued and impaired driving are major threats on the road. Why are they listed together? Some research indicates that driving while fatigued has a similar effect as driving while under the influence of drugs or alcohol. The Sleep Foundation indicates that being awake for 18 hours impacts your reaction time, attention, ability to multitask, and hand-eye coordination in the same way that a BAC of 0.05% would. This increases to 0.08% after 20 hours and 0.1% after 24 hours. Both impaired and fatigued driving significantly increase the likelihood of an accident, and these crashes make up a disproportionate share of crashes that cause serious or fatal injuries.
Speeding
This includes both driving above the speed limit and driving too fast for weather conditions. Speeding is generally trackable via the black box on the vehicle, which may make it easier to prove the circumstances of the collision. To add insult to injury, speeding is almost never worth the time it saves. Even when going significantly above the speed limit, drivers generally only save a couple of minutes when speeding. They do so while risking citations, crashes, and injuries. Car accident lawyers see a massive amount of collisions caused by speeding every single year.
Unsafe Lane Changes or Turns
Safe lane changes and turns tend to fall to the wayside once a driver becomes more comfortable on the road. While they may start off checking their blind spot every time, they may become complacent and avoid checking if they believe they already know the spot is clear. Unfortunately, this is exactly what happens in many sideswipe accidents.
Turning accidents are quite common in California. People may turn right on red when it’s unsafe to do so, thinking that they can get through the intersection fast enough to beat an oncoming car. Drivers may take a risky left turn, hoping they can get through fast enough to avoid a car coming in the opposite direction. When these gambles don’t pay off, serious and even fatal accidents may occur.
Failure to Yield
Yielding is one of the top topics covered in driver’s education, but it’s also one of the biggest causes of accidents. In some cases, it’s simply inexperience—a new driver doesn’t realize that they must yield to drivers on their left when entering a roundabout, for example. In other cases, it’s simply impatience and entitlement. Failing to yield at an intersection can cause everything from minor fender-benders to T-bone crashes that leave multiple victims with serious injuries. When merging onto highways at high speeds, failure to yield can lead to collisions that cause thousands of dollars in property damage and bodily harm.
Inexperienced Drivers
Every car accident lawyer knows the dangers of a new and inexperienced driver. In one way, new drivers often limit the damage they can do—since they are still getting comfortable on the road, they are less likely to take unnecessary risks. However, when they end up in a situation outside of what driver’s education has prepared them for, the consequences can be serious.
Get the Legal Help You Deserve—Call DeWitt Algorri & Algorri Now
If you’ve been injured in an accident, it’s time to talk to an auto accident attorney and find out what your next steps should be. When you choose DeWitt Algorri & Algorri, you can feel confident knowing that the area’s toughest attorneys are handling your case. Schedule your consultation now by calling us at 855-WINNING (946-6464) or contacting us online.
Mark Algorri has successfully represented individuals and their families in matters involving serious and catastrophic injuries, insurance claims denials, and wrongful deaths, achieving a success rate of 99 percent for our clients.