Pascoe Law Firm
CAR ACCIDENT LAWYER
Principal office located in Friendswood, Texas.
Available to service League City, Webster, Pearland, Galveston, and the surrounding areas within Texas.
Home »
Top 25 Causes of Car Accidents and How to Prevent Them
Car accidents are unfortunately very common in the Houston / Galveston areas. While some are relatively minor, thousands of lives are taken every year by horrible car crashes. Because your life can be at risk if you drive in an unsafe manner, it is so important to drive carefully and follow all traffic laws. The following 25 reasons are the most common causes of car accidents in the United States. Read to find out what actions you can start taking today to prevent them.
- Distracted Driving: Distracted driving becomes a larger threat every year and has been the leading cause of car accidents for the past decade. Its effects grow every year. You should always pay attention to the road while you are driving. That means you should avoid using your cell phone to make a call, texting, eating, reading, grooming, and talking while behind the wheel.
- Running Red Lights: It may seem obvious, but it bears repeating. Red always means stop. Even if it seems like no other cars are coming, you can cause a serious accident by running a red light and you will be breaking the law.
- Running Stop Signs: Just like red lights, stop signs are not optional. Always come to a full stop and wait your turn before passing through a red light.
- Rain / Hydroplaning / Fishtail: While you can’t always avoid driving in the rain, the slick, dangerous road conditions caused by heavy rains should be avoided when at all possible. If visibility is too low to drive or the roads seem particularly slick, you should pull over and wait until the storm passes.
- Snow and Ice: While we might not get much snow in South Texas, Icy is quite common on bridges and overpasses. Many cars slip and slide off the road and sometimes even completely flip over. Only go out in snow or icy weather with proper chains and tires, and avoid any roads that have not yet been sanded or plowed properly.
- Fog: If you can’t see the road and other drivers due to heavy fog, pull over and wait until visibility is better.
- Speeding: Although it can be tempting to push the speed limit when you are in traffic or running a bit late, speeding is the second most common cause of accidents, so you should resist the urge and stay within the legal limits.
- Drunk Driving: Drunk driving is one of the most dangerous causes of accidents in the U.S. Estimates hover around 300,000 incidents of drunk driving in America every day, despite the fact that drunk driving accidents are some of the deadliest. If you have had anything to drink, take a taxi or give your keys to a sober friend. It is not worth the risk.
- Reckless Driving: Changing lanes too quickly, speeding well over the limit, and acting aggressive on the roads can lead to horrible accidents. It is important to take your time and remain calm while driving to avoid needless accidents caused by simple carelessness.
- Teenage Drivers: Teens don’t have the experience to know what to do in dangerous conditions and that inexperience causes accidents. If you have teenagers, make sure that they have had a defensive driving course, do not permit cellphone use while driving, and limit the passengers they can take with them in the car. We have created a list of teen driver safety tips in order to help reduce the risk of teen driver accidents.
- Texting While Driving: Now that cell phones are everywhere, texting while driving is becoming increasingly common. This is very dangerous. In the time it takes to glance at a text, you can get in a horrible crash. Never text while driving.
- Night Driving: Lack of visibility makes hazards more difficult to see at night. Make sure that you are extra alert on the road at night, and use your bright when on an abandoned road without streetlights.
- Design Defects: Sometimes accidents are caused by flaws in the car itself. While you cannot always avoid this, make sure to take note of any recalls in the news and take your car in for regular maintenance.
- Wrong-Way Driving: Everyone makes mistakes, but lapses in judgment while driving a car can cause horrible accidents. Be aware of street signs warning of one-way streets or other irregularities, especially in unfamiliar areas.
- Improper Turns: When people don’t get in the proper lane to make a turn, use signals properly, or follow traffic signals, accidents happen. Always look out for traffic signs and obey the proper right-of-way when you make a turn.
- Tailgating: There is never an excuse to get too close to the car in front of you, no matter how frustratingly slow they seem to be going. Keep a safe distance from other cars so that you will have time to react to sudden turns or uses of brakes.
Pascoe Law Firm
1414 S. Friendswood Dr, STE 216,
Friendswood, TX 77546
United States
Phone: 713-829-4317
Get Directions
Email Us
- Road Rage: When you are angry, your decision-making skills suffer and you can get more aggressive. Stay calm and resist temptation to escalate road incidents.
- Drugs: While alcohol is the culprit, we usually associate with DUIs, drugs, including marijuana, prescription pills and other illegal drugs also cause terrible accidents. Never drive if you are under the influence of any drug, prescribed or not.
- Potholes: Potholes are very frustrating for drivers, because sometimes they can’t be avoided. Try to drive around potholes to avoid damaging your car, when you can, but do not swerve into another lane if cars are coming.
- Drowsy Driving: Being tired can diminish your reflexes as badly as a few glasses of alcohol. Don’t drive when you are extra sleepy, and make sure you always get a good night’s sleep before getting on the road. You can read more about drowsy driving and sleep impairment on our site.
- Tire Blowouts: If you get a flat while driving, it can cause you to swerve unexpectedly. Try to stay calm and keep control of the wheel while pulling over as soon as it is safe. Call for help if you cannot change the tire yourself safely.
- Street Racing: You should never race another car to your destination, even in a casual, “friendly” way. This leads to unnecessary risk-taking behavior.
- Curvy Roads: Very curvy roadways can be difficult to maneuver. Take the curves slowly and carefully. It is especially important to respect any posted adjusted speed limits.
- Animal Crossings: Anyone who has ever heard someone tell about hitting a deer knows that this is a big danger. For this reason, take extra caution when you see an animal crossing sign and always use your high beams when traveling in rural, woody areas where wild animals are common.Construction Zones Sometimes the way a construction zone is set up can be confusing. Follow the cones as well as possible and be aware of other drivers who may be confused. It is especially important to drive slowly in these areas.
- Making Illegal U-Turns: making a u-turn is a difficult maneuver that causes the vehicle pointing one direction to be ultimately facing the direction they were going. This is also something that causes a lot of accidents due to other drivers not understand that this is what you will be doing.
If you remember these risks and do all you can to prevent them, you will be much less likely to get in a car accident. However, not all accidents can be prevented. Just because you are careful does not mean that you can assure that all other drivers on the road will do the same thing. If you are in a car crash, it may not be your fault, and you should not be held responsible for the damages. Give the car accident lawyer at the Pascoe Law Firm a call at 713-829-4317 to discuss your specific case further today to find out if we can help.
