The most frequent causes of car accidents: what are they?
Travelling by car can always be potentially dangerous: risks are constantly around the corner; one therefore needs to be cautious and pay the utmost attention at all times. Of course, sometimes that’s not enough: avoiding to get involved in road accidents is perhaps impossible. However, you can drastically reduce their number. How? By following a few, simple rules and above all, by knowing the most frequent causes of car accidents.
CONTENTS
The most frequent causes of car accidents
- Using a smartphone while driving
- Fall asleep suddenly
- Alcohol and drugs
- High speed
- Weather conditions
- Unsafe car
The most frequent causes of car accidents
What are the most frequent situations that may lead to being involved in road accidents? We have listed some of the most common ones, so that you can recognise risky behaviour and prevent any car accidents.
Using a smartphone while driving
Did you know that looking at your smartphone for three seconds while driving at 130 km per hour on the motorway is equivalent to doing one hundred metres with your eyes closed?
But that’s exactly true! The main cause of car accidents, it seems almost obvious to say, is using a smartphone. Indeed, it is all too common to see drivers distracted by the mobile phone: looking at the screen rather than at the road, holding the device with one hand, definitely not really focused on driving. Unfortunately, the temptation to look at your mobile phone, to check messages perhaps,or answering a phone call with no ear phones, is one of the most frequent causes of accidents at the wheel (but often of heavy fines, and consequently losing points from the driving licence). To get an idea of how dangerous this habit is, the following example is enough:
Fall asleep suddenly
One of the most deceitful enemies of the motorist is precisely sleep driving, an event that strikes suddenly and with often very serious consequences. Many people choose to get behind the wheel without having rested enough, or perhaps after a particularly heavy meal: this causes a high number of car accidents every day. The advice is obviously to always drive with a high level of alertness, and rest before setting off. Plus, especially during long journeys, take breaks to freshen up and in any case always stop, where possible, at the first signs of heavy eyelids and drowsiness.
Alcohol and drugs
The use – and overuse – of alcohol or narcotic drugs is still one of the most frequent causes of car accidents: both can indeed impair the clear-headedness of the driver, even significantly. That is why, in recent years, checks have been intensified and fines have become much more severe for those driving under the influence. In spite of that, alcohol and narcotic drugs continue being one of the main causes of road accidents, including extremely serious ones.
High speed
Driving at high speed, exceeding the limits set by law, leads to an increase in braking distances and, consequently, makes it much more difficult to keep your car under control. What is more, by driving at high speed, you risk not having the time needed to avoid any obstacles. The harm, in these cases, also affects your wallet: fines can indeed be hefty.
Weather conditions
Oftentimes, the weather is not a motorist’s friend, but rather a pitfall, that causes serious car accidents. For this reason, some clever maintenance tricks can be useful. Fog, rain, high wind, snow and icy roads are potentially dangerous for those travelling in a car. These conditions call for the utmost prudence, and may even require you to stop when necessary: indeed, visibility might be seriously impaired under adverse weather conditions, moreover, braking spaces and times change, and it might be difficult to have complete control of the car.
Unsafe car
Car accidents are also often caused by the car being in less than optimal conditions. Worn tyres, worn brakes, undetected malfunctions may turn out to be a huge problem, as well as a great hazard. That is why one should always comply with the routine maintenance deadlines, and contact a specialist for an in-depth check-up as soon as any doubts arise on proper operation of one’s car.
MOTRIO TIPS & TRICKS
Regular maintenance of your car is always recommended, in this way, in addition to being sure of having a perfectly efficient and safe car, you can extend the service life of the car over time.
MOTRIO Cervice Centres carry out maintenance on 100% of the car stock on the roads. At our MOTRIO Service Center you will also find MOTRIO branded oil for small cars and light commercial vehicles, for the latest generation of diesel and petrol engines, including those fitted with particulate filters and cars with direct or indirect injection system.
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