A road accident or car accident is a vehicle collision with another vehicle both for external odd situations and internal causes of the car. There can be a hell of a lot of causes if you want to mention them. While some car accidents are associated with inexperienced drivers, experienced drivers are involved in a collision as well.
Getting into one can lead to several unwanted consequences including, severe injuries, expensive repair bills, and even lead to loss of life. Why not prevent it from happening?
Here at RxMechanic, we don’t want you to get involved in a collision. So, we’ll highlight common car accidents and how to avoid a car accident on the road.
This guide is meant for both teenage drivers who recently got their licenses and expert drivers with years of experience behind the wheel.
Common Car Accident And How To Avoid A Car accident
Learning expert driving takes many instructional hours behind the wheels, especially if you don’t want to get involved in accidents from time to time. Since accidents happen every day, you may ask, “can we prevent accidents?” Let’s find out the solutions in the following few paragraphs.
Here are common car accidents and preventive measures to follow.
Backing Collisions
Accidents are prone to occur when backing out of a driveway or a parking lot. This doesn’t mean it happens all the time.
The best preventive measure for a backing collision is to avoid backing up your vehicle. Always park in a spot where you’ll have to drive straight instead of backing up.
A helpful preventive measure is to install a reverse camera if your car doesn’t have one. I know you won’t pack your car until you get a reverse camera. Here are a few tips on how to drive your car before you install it;
- Examine the traffic patterns and your surroundings before getting into the car
- Back out slowly while monitoring your back via the side mirrors.
- Back out in a shortest and most direct straight lane
- Make use of your side mirrors and brakes until you’re out of the parking lot.
- Avoid getting distracted while backing out.
Parked vehicle thief
Regardless of where you park your vehicle, there are probable chances of a break-in. However, there are preventive measures you need to take to avoid unnecessary damage to your car.
Get this right; you may lose valuable items that you filed under your homeowner insurance during a break-in. Your vehicle insurance only covers damages that occur on the vehicle and not personal items. That said, do not keep valuables in your car.
Do not leave valuable items in a parked car. There are at times when you have to leave some valuable items in your car. Maybe you just got them from a store. In any case, if you must leave valuable items in your car, do not expose them to passers-by. It’s an invitation to thieves. Put valuable items in the trunk or glove compartment.
Do not park in lonely and dark places. I recommend parking your car in a busy place instead of lonely places. Also do not park in dark places as it could invite thieves to your car.
Single-vehicle accident
This is a common type of road accident that involves only one vehicle. This type of accident includes collisions with debris, animals, road obstacles, and bridges. Rollovers and accidents off-road are considered single-vehicle accidents. Luckily, there are potential preventive measures you should take to avoid them.
Don’t turn your car into a road beast. Approximately, overspeeding is the cause of over 30% of all road accidents since the last decade. It is no news that overspeeding is dangerous, even when you’re driving on a lonely road.
Focus on the road. Avoid all distractions even if you’re driving on a lonely road or stuck in traffic. Refrain from eating on the steering, making hands-on phone calls, or texting on the wheel. You don’t know when the situation will change.
Optimize your driving to the weather condition. Whether you’re driving on a crowded or lonely road, consider the weather condition. When traveling on a rainy, icy, or snowy day, maintain a speed that won’t cause loss of control and traction. Avoid hydroplaning on rainy days.
Crashes at intersections
Accidents frequently happen at intersections by traffic offenders and distracted drivers. Traffic offenders violate traffic rules in quest of avoiding traffic delays. This act will cause crashes with other vehicles. Distracted drivers may not watch traffic signals before crossing.
For this reason, I do not recommend anyone to start driving because you know how to turn the wheels. Learn and practice defensive driving. Do not move once the traffic light turns green.
Wait and observe if anyone is coming through the intersections. Do not speed up to cross the line when you see yellow lights. Be cautious rather than take chances. This, alone, is the solution to road accidents in Nigeria.
Broken Windshield.
One of the questions netizens ask is, “is it possible that vehicular accidents can be avoided?” Of course, some vehicular accidents can be avoided. Chips and cracks to car windshields are one of the common crashes motorists can avoid.
Chips and stones can fall from other vehicles and crack your windshields. You can avoid this by keeping your distance from other vehicles, especially trucks with chippings and stones.
Another preventive measure is to refrain from driving behind snowplows when they are dropping granular. Some of the granular can cause chips and cracks.
Rear-end crash
This type of accident is common, and the reason for many auto crashes and insurance claims. Whether a vehicle hit you from behind or you hit a car in front of you, this type of accident can be avoided.
The below tips are solutions to road accidents that you should mitigate to avoid rear-end collisions.
Maintain a reasonable distance. Do not get too close to the vehicle in front of you. Maintain a reasonable space with the vehicle in front of you, so you safely stop if the car in your front stops suddenly. This is mostly true in bad weather conditions.
Focus on the road. Do not send text messages, hands-on phone calls, read signposts, or find your phone. It only takes milliseconds or seconds for you to hit a vehicle from the back.
Strategize your driving. Always maintain a distance from the vehicle in front of you. In the same manner, monitor the distance between you and the vehicle behind, and maintain a reasonable space, especially on highways.
Don’t drive when drunk or dozy. Driving and drinking is an offenses. You may ask, ‘how about driving when drunk?’ don’t do it because it will endanger your life and that of other road users.
Parked vehicle damage
This is common these days. Have you not seen a vehicle from nowhere hit a parked vehicle? Whether you park your vehicle in a parking lot or driveway, this situation can occur.
Follow the tips below to avoid park car crashes and insurance claims.
Isolate your vehicle. When you get to a shopping mall or attend a conference, do not park your car in the busiest parking slot. Instead, isolate your vehicle and keep a distance from other vehicles. This will help prevent the chances of getting hit by another vehicle.
Always park in a garage. I recommend parking in a garage so your vehicle won’t stand as an obstacle to vehicles coming in or going out.
Do not park near U-turns, busy intersections, and driveways. If you park your vehicle close to any of these places, it could be an obstacle. Other drivers may not see and side-swipe your car while they are dragging lines.
FAQs:
Q: What are the 3 most common things to cause a car accident?
Several things can cause a car collision. However, the three most important causes are distraction while driving, tailgating [driving too close to other vehicles], and overspeeding.
While you cannot prevent car accidents from happening. Though there are a few factors you should take to minimize the chances of getting involved. Scroll up and check the preventive measures above.
Q: What is the main cause of car accidents?
Car accidents happen for several reasons. There is nothing like the main cause of an accident. However, tailgating, overspeeding, and distractions are the three common causes.
Other causes of road accidents include drunk driving, running red lights, rain, reckless driving, night driving, design effects, improper turns, wrong-way driving, potholes, teenager drivers, drugs. Animal crossings, tire blowouts, and construction sites can also cause car accidents.
Q: Who causes more accidents?
According to a report by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, men get more traffic violations, DUIs, and cause more accidents than women. In the same manner, men cover more miles than women.
Although, there are more licensed female drivers in the US than males. Men cover 40 percent more miles than female drivers annually.
Q: Who are safer drivers males or females?
Females are safer drivers than males. The evidence is clear. Let’s look at this; officers issue men more tickets for reckless driving than women.
According to a report by Quality Planning, a research firm that works for insurance companies, men are 3.1 times likely to be cited for drunk driving. Women are law-abiding, and less aggressive drivers.
Final words
Road accidents happen to both male and female drivers. It also happens to old and young, experienced and inexperienced drivers. Indeed, car accidents are bound to happen, but there are ways to minimize them.
This article has provided sufficient information on common road accidents and how to avoid car accidents. Read and digest the tips in this article to minimize the chances of getting involved in a car collision.
