Accidents happen, as the cliché goes. And where motoring is concerned, this has never changed. In fact, it would even be fair to say that despite the massive advances in things like automobile and highway safety, they are still happening at a depressingly high rate. In 2021, vehicle miles travelled in the U.S. continued an increasing trend, and with that has come a hefty number of accidents, many of them fatal. Moreover, many of these accidents are some of the typical road accidents that have been injuring and killing motorists for years.
Nevertheless, the most common accidents are easily understood and so one can take steps to avoid them. Knowledge of these most frequent accidents is an essential precursor to properly optimizing your safety as a driver. These accidents are common, and so there has been a lot of tips and advice built up regarding how to avoid them. For sure, learning about the most common accidents is an essential part of becoming a competent driver, never mind a good one.
Car and Highway Safety
In addition to learning about the most common accidents though, you can also learn about the safety technologies available to help you out. As mentioned, these can be safety features of the roads you are driving on or the vehicle you are driving in.
Highway safety experts Valtir say that on most U.S. highways and major roads, you can nearly always expect safety to be up to scratch. Things like pull-over points, highway crash barricades, and innovative new luminous road marking can all make it a bit easier to avoid accidents and prevent the worst when they happen.
In terms of the technology at your disposable, there are many options. Cars fitted with front and rear collision alarms can help with one of the most fundamental skills of driving – keeping an appropriate distance. Concentration can lapse and so things like collision alarms can hopefully pick up the slack.
Highway and automobile safety technology can also be integrated in the form of the latest sat navs. These devices can relay real time road information to you, both on the general condition of the road or on variable factors like traffic and maintenance works.
Most Common Accidents
All the above is essential for good driving today. However, knowing what the most common accidents are is arguably even more important. Here are a few of them and how to avoid them:
Rear-End Collisions
Your car goes forward and, for most of the time, you are looking forward. Rear end collisions are also rarely the fault of the car being hit, although that situation can arise from braking too suddenly or neglecting to check rear and wing mirrors. Weather conditions that reduce the effectiveness of brakes also make this accident more likely.
Parked Car Damage
This one is almost certain not to be your fault – unless you park somewhere seriously ill-advised. The only way to avoid this is, well, not to park in such a location or position and to consider the visibility of your parked car.
Single-Vehicle Accidents
This is more of broad group, but it involves crashes between a vehicle and non-vehicle objects. Hopefully, this object will be a crash barricade and not the base of sheer drop! To improve safety in this area you should firstly consider the weather conditions and slow down if this is necessary. Beyond this, the only advice is to be vigilant and make use of safety sensors.
By being aware of these common accidents, you can learn how to prevent them. It really is no more complicated than that.
