Sometimes, car accidents happen after unusual events, but many collisions happen for similar reasons. Drivers in Bryan, TX and Hempstead, TX often seek out a car accident lawyer after a collision caused by distracted driving, speeding, or road rage.
12 Common Causes of Car Accidents in Bryan, TX
1. Distracted Driving
In the state of Texas in 2020, 369 people passed away in car crashes that involved distracted driving. Today, we often think of distracted driving cases involving cell phones, which is true. A lot of drivers answer texts, try to manage a phone call, or correct their GPS while they’re driving. This distracts them from what’s happening on the road and leads to accidents.
Cell phones aren’t the only task that distracts drivers from the road, though. Drivers are also distracted by passengers, food, pets in the vehicle, the radio, smoking, and rubbernecking. It’s common for a confident and seasoned driver to believe that multitasking isn’t a problem. However, when something unexpected happens on the road, and we aren’t looking, accidents happen.
2. Speeding
Speed limits are set with a few key safety factors in mind, like making sure drivers should have enough time to brake. Experts also set these limits based on school routes, traffic flow, and sharp corners. Unfortunately, many drivers feel like the set speed limit is arbitrary and choose to go over the limit. This is one of the leading causes of fatal accidents in the United States.
3. Poor Vehicle Condition
Sometimes, we’ll see headlines that reveal a manufacturer flaw resulted in a faulty car that proved dangerous to drive. This leads to accidents and manufacturer recalls. More often, poor vehicle condition happens when routine maintenance is skipped. It often involves a vehicle’s tires or brakes being in poor condition. This can lead to tires that blow out, cars that slip in the snow, or faulty brakes.
Many of the most common and dangerous maintenance issues aren’t noticed by a driver because they’re behind the wheel daily. The slow progression of the problem feels natural to them. Bringing your car in for a regular check-up with a trusted mechanic can help avoid these common dangers.
4. Heavy Rains
Rain reduces visibility, which leads to a lot of car accidents. If it’s raining hard enough that it impacts visibility, it’s a good idea to pull over and wait for the worst of the storm to pass. If you can see well enough to drive, reduce your speed and increase the distance from the car in front of you.
Another way to avoid a collision in the rain is to make sure your tires are in working condition. Tires with a good tread grip the road better and can help you handle the car when the roads are slippery.
5. Fog, Snow, and High Winds
While heavy, sudden rain can be its own issue in Texas, we also see our unexpected days of fog causing poor visibility. There are also times when snow or ice makes the roads difficult to manage. Sometimes, drivers panic under those conditions or fail to reduce their speed accordingly. Sometimes, tornado warnings and high winds lead to poor judgment on the roads.
If the weather is severe and unusual for local drivers, it’s a good idea to stay off the road until it passes. Low visibility and poor decision-making lead to many accidents in these unusual weather conditions.
6. Drunk Driving
In 2020, 25.41% of car accident deaths were involved in accidents where a driver was under the influence of alcohol. This percentage represents 990 deaths. A significant portion of accidents happened between 2:00 am and 2:59 am, with more on Saturday than any other day.
It is illegal in Texas to drive while under the influence of alcohol or drugs. Unfortunately, it is still a leading cause of car accident fatalities.
7. Reckless Driving
There are times when the frustrations of the road cause a driver’s temper to run high and their decision-making skills suffer for it. This leads to actions like tailgating, swerving in and out of lanes, and speeding. A lot of us refer to this simply as “road rage”.
In these cases, the accidents aren’t just an accident, but a case where someone made a decision when their emotions ran high. This overruns their better decision-making skills and leads to terrible consequences.
8. Intersections
In 2020, 870 people died in crashed at intersections or related to an intersection. The most common cause of collisions at intersections is drivers running a red light. Often, drivers only consider the danger of getting a traffic ticket, but this is a decision that leads to many accidents every year.
Another issue at intersections is that drivers are going faster to catch the light or slower as they pull out. The combination of these two leads to many accidents when drivers don’t see each other in time.
9. Being Too Tired To Drive
Studies have revealed tired drivers are as dangerous as those driving under the influence. Sleep deprivation leads to impaired judgment and slow reaction times. It can also impact your vision, making your sight blurry or losing focus. It’s hard to concentrate when we’re tired, and this can lead to collisions.
10. Wild Animal Crossings
Wild animals, like deer, sometimes jump into the road without warning. There are times when this is simply unavoidable, though keeping your high beams on when driving at night can help.
11. Poor Roads
Road maintenance in Texas sometimes doesn’t keep up with the needs of drivers. There are issues like large potholes or curves that are too sharp. Sometimes maintenance crews put up signs for a detour that take drivers down unsafe pathways. These kinds of poor design and maintenance issues can lead to terrible car accidents.
12. Changing Lanes
Sometimes drivers change lanes when there really isn’t enough room for that to happen. Most of the time, the driver who was cut off manages to slow down in time. However, accidents in this situation are very common. Changing lanes without enough space, without a blinker, or passing on a curve are all common actions that lead to collisions.
How a Car Accident Lawyer in Hempstead, TX Helps
Reading about the common causes of car accidents leads many to wonder how it is that an attorney can help. After all, how do you prove that an at-fault driver was reckless or distracted by their phone? A lawyer who specializes in auto collisions has a lot of experience building this kind of case for you. They will do the heavy lifting to build a case.
This may include obtaining the accident report from the police and interviewing witnesses who saw what happened. Your attorney may file a lawsuit and ask the court for the cell phone records from the at-fault driver. A great lawyer may also hire experts to interpret evidence and establish what happened. Ultimately, the lawyer is tasked with representing you, telling your story, and getting fair compensation.
A car accident can be a life-disrupting event with many added costs. A professional attorney can represent your interests and help you get compensation for injuries suffered. If you need an experienced accident lawyer to represent you, we can help. Contact Brian C. Gutierrez, personal injury trial lawyer, for your free case consultation.
