Fortunately, most of us will never experience a really bad car crash, but there are many minor accidents that occur to many people every day. The injuries and vehicle damage that can occur vary from incident to incident but they can all be extremely traumatic. No two car crashes are the same and there are various reasons why a vehicle accident may occur. Each incident is usually a combination of these reasons and the number of factors involved can seriously affect the severity of the crash.

Here are the key factors that contribute to a car crash and what you can do to prevent a crash from occurring.

1. Reckless Driving

The main contributing factor which leads to the majority of car crashes is reckless or irresponsible driving. This could be using your phone while driving, listening to loud distracting music, or doing your makeup on the way to work. The experts at https://www.dsslaw.com/ explain that the majority of crashes are caused by distracted driving but these can be some of the hardest cases to prove in compensation claims. The laws when it comes to using a cellphone vary from State to State, but other driving laws such as those which ban drinking and drug use while driving are universal. Drink-driving and driving under the influence of drugs are incredibly dangerous and cause so much preventable injury and death. Nobody should ever drive while intoxicated and if they do then they should face the full extent of the law.

2. Vehicle Faults

Another factor that can contribute to a car crash is a fault with the vehicle itself. This can be a manufacturing fault or an issue that arises due to damage or malfunction. A vehicle fault can be particularly dangerous because a brake failure or a tire blowout can catch the driver completely by surprise and spin the car out of control without the driver having the opportunity to react. When there is a manufacturer’s fault which affects a whole range of vehicles, the manufacturer will recall the whole line. If the fault has caused multiple accidents, the victims can sue the manufacturer in a class-action lawsuit. The biggest class-action lawsuits have seen payouts of hundreds of million dollars and seriously harmed the reputation of the manufacturers.

3. Bad Road or Weather Conditions

Another major contributing factor to car crashes is poor road or weather conditions. Especially when combined with dangerous driving practices or a faulty vehicle, these conditions can cause seriously dangerous results. One of the most dangerous road and weather conditions is black ice as it is very difficult for vehicles to grip the road. There are over 10,000 crashes on US roads every year due to black ice and this number is going up every year. As well as black ice, wet roads contribute to many accidents as they affect drivers’ ability to steer and dramatically increase stopping distances. It is so important that if there are any adverse weather conditions that you drive especially carefully and reduce your speed. Road conditions can also play a huge contributing role in accidents. Potholes, broken road surfaces, and other issues can make driving extremely hazardous so it is vital that drivers take the road conditions into account.

4. Poor Road Signage

Another reason why car crashes often happen is when the roads are not properly signposted. Roads that are particularly dangerous due to landslides or deer crossing should always have signposts so that drivers can be particularly vigilant. There have been some major crashes due to roads not having the right speed limit signs and people driving far faster than is safe on that stretch of road. There are a shocking amount of drivers who don’t know what many of the road signs mean and this can cause confusion and potential accidents. It is vital to make sure you know what every sign means so that you can follow the road laws.

5. Accidental Factors

Unfortunately, there are other factors that lead to car crashes that are completely out of drivers’ hands. This may be an animal running out into the road or someone stopping suddenly in front of them. These can be just as dangerous as the other factors in this article so it is vital that drivers stay 100% focused at all times.

The circumstances behind car crashes vary from case to case but they are usually a combination of these five factors. While there are certain things that are out of a driver’s control, observing road laws and always practicing safe driving are easy steps that every driver can take to reduce the chance of having a crash. Always stay focused on the road, drive within the speed limit, and be particularly careful if there are poor road or weather conditions.