Road accidents unfortunately are still a relatively common occurrence. All it can take is a momentary lapse of judgement or attention for an accident to occur.
When an accident occurs, the emergency services will be present and depending on the severity may need traffic cones and other road safety equipment to cordon off and ensure that traffic is back flowing safely, but thankfully these types of scenarios have been on the decline with a 16% reduction in road traffic accidents in 2020 compared to the previous year.
But what are some of the most common road accidents that occur in the USA?
Drink driving
Unsurprisingly, drink driving is still one of the most common causes of road accidents in the USA despite all of the campaigns throughout the years to try and encourage drivers not to drink and drive. Fatalities have decreased over the years but statistics state that drink driving causes 13% of all road fatalities.
If you drive above the legal limit, they can be major repercussions. You could be banned from driving for one year, incur a fine (which has no cap) and face up to six months imprisonment and a criminal record. For everything that you could potentially lose and the impact you could have on someone else’s life, it’s not worth it. The safest thing to do is don’t risk it you have so much to lose for something that could have easily been avoided.
Lack of concentration
This could be anything from failing to look correctly at the road and the other road users, to fatigue and tiredness, to using your phone whilst driving. They can all have a massive impact to safety on the road. Lack of concentration causes above one-third of all USA road accidents.
The simplest way to try and avoid these types of accidents is to be vigilant and alert when driving and if tiredness is creeping in, make sure you take the appropriate break and rest as crashes caused by fatigue increase the chance of death/serious injury by 50%.
Also, don’t use your phone whilst driving, not only are you endangering others on the road, as of 2017 you will incur a £200 fine and 6 points on your license.
Being careless/in a hurry
We’ve seen those drivers who are in a rush and will do anything to make sure they get to their destination on time, otherwise, the world will end. But the increased danger they’ve causing when they drive in this manner is serious. You are seriously endangering everyone around you, from the drivers to the pedestrians driving so frantically.
It’s as simple as slowing down. It’s not worth endangering those around you just to make sure you get somewhere on time.
