We all buy car insurance in case we get into car accidents. No one wishes to be in a car accident, but it may help you to realize which ones are the most common, and why they happen. You can then be on the lookout for such potential situations.
WHAT IS THE MAIN CAUSE OF CAR ACCIDENTS?
A Suzuki blog mentions that 77% of all fatal car accidents are caused by human error. Road conditions contribute 16%, and a car’s roadworthiness, 6%. This just highlights the fact that more careful motorists could have reduced those fatalities.
DISTRACTED MOTORISTS CAN CAUSE ACCIDENTS
According to a Wheels24 article, talking or texting on a cell phone, digging around for your lunch, or looking at your GPS can cause you to be seriously distracted. About 25% of all accidents belong to this class. Imagine talking on a cell phone for 60 seconds. At 120 km/hour, you will have covered an entire two kilometres, during which time your driving ability was seriously compromised.
DRUNK DRIVING
Most of us are aware how tough the law is on drunken driving, seeing our ability to drive is badly impaired. When driving under the influence of alcohol, our correct judgement of speed, and braking distance is virtually non-existent.
DOES SPEED KILL?
Yes, speeding on the road does kill. We tend to think it will never be us or our passengers or the other car’s occupants. How does speed kill? At high speeds you will, most likely, not be able to stop in time. If your reaction time is say 1 second, travelling at 120 km/hour means your car will cover another 33 metres (over 7 car lengths) before you apply the brakes. By that time, you may have already crashed into something or someone.
IMPATIENCE IS A SERIOUS CHALLENGE
There are many reasons why some motorists resort to reckless driving, ranging from sheer arrogance to being impatient. Impatience means you don’t feel like stopping for a traffic light that is turning red. You may also swerve recklessly into another lane because you don’t want to slow down.
ANOTHER TYPE OF ACCIDENT INVOLVES PEDESTRIANS
In South Africa, pedestrian fatalities by far exceed deaths of drivers or passengers. Either motorists are travelling too fast in built-up areas, or pedestrians are not concentrating when crossing a road. When a pedestrian crosses a highway, a car, travelling at 120 km/hour and 100 metres away at the time of the pedestrian crossing, will be upon that pedestrian within 3 seconds.
WHAT TYPE OF CAR ACCIDENTS DOES WEATHER CAUSE?
Many motorists don’t realize how drastically the road surface changes when it starts raining. Especially, during the first rains of the season, oil and grease deposits make roads particularly slippery. When it rains, slowing down is not negotiable.
WHAT ABOUT BAD ROAD SURFACES?
Driving along a dirt road with corrugations can be dangerous at high speeds. On tarred roads, large pot holes can cause enormous damage and even fatalities, depending on the speed of the car at the time. Pot holes cannot be spotted in time at night, especially if submerged in large puddles of water after some heavy rains.
POOR BRAKES
With faulty brakes, your car won’t be able to stop in time, resulting in a possible rear-end crash. Motorists must ensure their brakes are working effectively at all times.
ILLEGAL TYRES
The legal minimum depth of tyre tread in South Africa is 1.6 mm across at least 75% of the central width of the tyre, as well as around its whole circumference. A claim can be rejected because of poor tyre tread. In addition, a car is considered not roadworthy if tyre treads are illegal.
HOW TO AVOID HEAD-ON COLLISIONS
Keep your eyes on the road at all times and slow down if something is developing on the road ahead. Move as far to the left of the road to avoid any suspicious oncoming cars.
REAR-END CRASHES ARE THE MOST COMMON
Never tailgate and increase your following distance in wet weather.
‘T-BONE’ OR SIDE CRASHES ARE DANGEROUS
These type of accidents can be serious if there are no side airbags in the car. Side crashes can especially occur at traffic lights, and stop streets. Always look carefully before crossing any road.
We have seen how many different accidents can occur in a twinkling of an eye. This is why every motorist must ensure the cars they drive are insured. If you are considering buying car cover, PMD offers car insurance at affordable prices.