Avoid These and Avoid Accidents

Most people won’t be able to go their entire lives without ever being involved in an accident.  Some manage to only have a minor fender bender, others seem to have bad luck and get into more than one major accident.

How are there such big variations?  How do some people seem to be luckier, even though they drive more than most people?  It comes down to what are the biggest causes of accidents, being aware of them, and avoiding them when possible.  Big Sky Collision Center wants you to be safe on the road; so we have put together a list of the 10 most common causes.  Review it, and learn to avoid these situations!

Top 10 Causes of Accidents

Distracted Driving – Distracted driving is more than just texting and driving.  It’s anything that distracts you from the task at hand.  A full quarter of all fatal accidents are due to distracted driving.  It’s not surprising that accidents involving teenage drivers report that almost 60% were distracted.

Speeding – The saying, “speed kills” isn’t just hyperbole.  It’s truth.  These accidents are a little less common than distracted driving, but they’re slightly more deadly (accounting for 26% of all fatal traffic accidents; down from 33% the preceding two decades).  Slow down and arrive alive.

Drunk Driving – Fortunately drunk driving has decreased considerably over the years.  Unfortunately, even with Uber and Lyft in just about every city around the country, it’s still a problem.  Drunk driving accidents account for 28% of fatal crashes (down from 40% not too long ago); often the drunk driver themselves aren’t the victims.  In a world of cell phones, there’s no excuse to ever get behind the wheel impaired.

Reckless Driving – Reckless driving, not wreckless driving, is still a major issue that is generally found in those that are young and inexperienced drivers.  It can include excessive speeding as well as just about any other dangerous driving maneuvers.  Reckless driving comprises about 30% of fatal crashes.

Rain – Rain, and other weather, can’t be controlled.  In fact, the rain is the cause of more accidents than snow and ice.  The reason is that most people don’t see the rain as dangerous, and don’t adjust their driving habits.  But when the roads are wet, they can be just as slick as ice.  The majority of all crashes (no matter what other cause) happen when the pavement is wet.

Running a Red Light – Failure to stop at a red light is a surefire way to get in a wreck.  Cross traffic is almost always going to be present, and you have a very slim chance of making it through the intersection unscathed.

Running a Stop Sign – Causing slightly fewer wrecks is the act of running a stop sign.  The only reason is that stop signs generally mean an area of lower traffic than a stop light.

Inexperienced Drivers – You get better at any skill the more you practice it.  Those jumping behind the wheel are going to have slower reaction time because they simply have not had a chance to perfect their skills.  Drivers aged 16 to 17 are 9 times more likely to be involved in a crash than adults.

Driving at Night – When you can’t see as well, you can’t react as fast.  There are three times as many fatal car crashes at night than during the day.  Fatigue, rush hour, worse weather (in winter), and alcohol all play into that as well.

Vehicle Defects – Rounding out number 10 is the fact that sometimes vehicles are defective.  Often these defects are caught and recalls are issues.  Sometimes they are due to lack of maintenance or modifications.  Here at Big Sky we double scan everything and return the vehicles back to factory safety standards to avoid this issue.

Big Sky Collision Center Says to Drive Safe!

The majority of the accident causes on this list are controllable (on your side; if you’re the victim that’s another story).  Put the phone away, don’t drink and drive, and maintain a safe speed and your risk of being the cause of an accident are greatly diminished.

If you have been in an accident, whether you’re at fault or not, give us a call at 406-259-6328 to make an appointment with the best auto body repair shop in Billings!