Risks on the Road: 5 Common Driver Mistakes That Cause Car Accidents

The roads can be a dangerous place. This is truer today than ever before because there are so many more cars on the roads and a lot more potential distractions for drivers as well. On top of that, lifestyles are busier than ever with people dashing madly from one thing to another. These are all contributing factors to the 6 million accidents which happen on our roads each year.

Surely there’s something you can do to avoid this though, right? Of course, there is. We’ve rounded up the 5 most common mistakes which lead to accidents for you.

Being Distracted

Being distracted is probably the leading cause of car accidents. Distractions come in all types too. This can mean the passengers in the car distract you somehow, perhaps with a conversation or perhaps the kids start fighting in the back. Then there are drivers who lose focus because they catch sight of an attractive pedestrian or those who are too busy texting to watch the road.

All of these situations have the same kind of outcome - they can all lead to a crash, putting you in a messy situation where you not only have to deal with the accident but also the impending court case. What happens next is an entirely different subject, though you can read more if you want to.

Speeding

People speed for all kinds of reasons - usually because they’re late. The speed limits exist for a reason though, they’re there to minimize the chances of serious harm if an accident does occur. If you’re going above them when you crash, the damage is likely to be a lot worse than it otherwise might have been.

Another consideration about speeding is that it doesn’t usually save much time, because you end up being limited more by traffic or red lights than by speed limits. Along with the time gains being tiny, the costs in terms of fuel increase quite a lot with just a little extra speed. All of this means that speeding is quite costly and risky yet doesn’t give much reward at all, so why do it?

Tailgating

Drivers who speed are sometimes also serial tailgaters. These are the drivers who get way too close to the car in front, either to try and speed them up or so they move in and allow an overtake. Tailgating is super dangerous though because if the car in front has to stop suddenly, you’re likely to end up smashing into them. You also don’t know what types of brakes are on the car in front - they could be highly efficient sports brakes which you have no chance of matching stopping power with, even if you have lightning reactions.

Trying to Rush the Lights

Trying to rush through a light before it turns red is a risky game. It can all go wrong if the lights are just slightly mistimed and the cars going the other direction start moving before you can make it all the way through. Playing with traffic lights in this way is the same thing as risking your life in the hope of saving perhaps 1 or 2 minutes in getting to your destination.

Tiredness

Finally, we have another by-product of busy modern lifestyles. With everybody living such hectic lives we are seeing more and more people suffering from chronic tiredness. Tired drivers have slower reactions and are less attentive. They’re also more prone to missing things or making mistakes. If you feel tired, take a break and have a coffee before you continue driving. It could save your life!