According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), approximately 94% of accidents are caused by driver error. These errors may be related to:

• Failure to recognize a potential crash hazard
• An error in decision making
• A driver performance error such as speeding or texting while driving
• Other potential hazardous factors, such as roadway defects or altered traffic patterns

While driver error accounts for the vast majority of car accidents, vehicle failure and environmental conditions also account for a combined 4% of accidents, according to the NHTSA. These statistics show that the vast majority of motor vehicle accidents are the result of poor driving, also known as negligence.

Other Drivers Are the Main Road Safety Threat in Traffic Accidents

The NHTSA’s analysis of accident causation touches on the many ways that drivers can cause car crashes. The broad categories of behavior that may cause a crash include:

• Failure to recognize conditions that could cause an accident such as a pothole, pedestrian, bicycle or another vehicle
• Poor decision making by drivers that is likely to increase the risk of an accident like driving while drowsy, under the influence of alcohol or drugs or driving too fast in light of roadway conditions
• Physical maneuvers (performance errors) that result in an accident such as moving into traffic from a parking space, or making unsafe lane changes or turns
• Non-performance-related errors such as poor highway design or construction errors

More specific behaviors that fall within the “failure to recognize” category include:

• A driver being distracted by talking on the phone, texting or eating
• Not paying adequate attention to the road for other reasons
• Being distracted by children or other passengers

Poor decision making behaviors include:

• Speeding or rushing to get to another location
• Making illegal driving maneuvers such as unsafe U-turns
• Misjudging other motorists’ speed
• Misjudging the distance between vehicles and objects

Some physical maneuvers that could cause a car accident include:

• Veering into another vehicle’s lane
• Overcorrecting after turning or changing lanes
• Moving into traffic from a stopped position

The lawyers at Dansker & Aspromonte Associates LLP have decades of experience proving that the other side was at fault for the accident. If we accept your case, we will immediately begin an investigation to determine what factors caused your accident and obtain the following if available:

• Police and incident reports
• Photographs of the accident location and vehicle damage
• Witness statements
• Video from traffic or security cameras at the location of the accident

Drivers Often Fail To Adapt to Road Conditions

One of the main causes of car accidents involving other vehicles, pedestrians, or bicyclists results from driving without considering the actual road conditions at the time of the accident. Generally, these conditions include:

• The presence of pedestrians, bicyclists or other vehicles
• The presence of construction zones, roadway defects or altered traffic patterns
• Bad weather and wet surfaces

Bad weather can be particularly troublesome, as it can impact:

• Visibility
• Your vehicle’s grip on the road for stopping or turning
• Your ability to maintain control of your vehicle

The NHTSA reports that rain, snow, and ice are among the road conditions that require you to adjust your driving behaviors. Some precautions that may be necessary when such conditions are expected include:

• Ensuring that your windshield wipers are adequate and functional
• Checking your car’s ability to defrost its windshield
• Slowing your speed
• Turning on your headlights, and in some conditions your hazard lights
• Increasing the distance between you and the vehicle in front of you
• Accelerating slowly in wet conditions to avoid hydroplaning

Any road condition that obscures visibility or your ability to control your vehicle warrants proportional safety responses from you and other drivers.