Mar 22, 2017
A new set of statistics reported by the Department of Transport published in February 2017, showed that vehicle traffic levels increased by 1.4% in the UK. With more and more cars racing on our roads each year, there were over 182,560 casualties (of various severities) taking place in 2016. The worst part is that most of these road accidents could have been easily prevented. Here are some of the most common causes of road accidents and how to avoid them:
There are many reasons why you could lose control of the car but the most common cause is speed. If you’re speeding and the unexpected happens, you’ve less time to react. Speed is the leading cause of road accidents in the UK and can be easily avoided by driving carefully and never going over the speed limit.
You can also lose control of the car if you let yourself fall asleep at the wheel. According to research, almost 20% of road accidents are sleep-related. If you feel tired or drowsy, it’s best to pull over and stop driving altogether. Rolling down your window may seem like a quick fix, but it’s not worth the risk.
Driving during dangerous weather conditions such as snow and ice is just asking for trouble, especially if you're speeding or driving a car with worn tyres. Avoid accidents by driving more carefully in such conditions and make sure your car and its tyres are in perfect condition. Of course, it’s advised not to take your car out on the ice in the first place but if you must, you can prepare your car for dangerous weather by arranging a vehicle health check with one of our many car service providers located throughout the UK. A vehicle health (VHC) check takes around 30 minutes and typically covers tyres, brakes, lights, wipers, oil level, steering, suspension, exhaust and battery power level. Get a quote here.
NEVER drink and drive. You’ve heard it time and time again and for good reason. Drink driving causes over a tenth of road fatalities each year and if you’re caught, you could face steep fines of up to £5000 and a criminal record. If your drink driving caused a death on the road, you could be faced with a prison sentence and a lifetime of guilt and regret.
A fifth of UK road accidents occurs because the driver fails to judge another person’s speed or path. Examples include mistakenly assuming another vehicle will make an expected manoeuvre or wrongly judging a gap when trying to pull out of a junction. The best way to avoid an accident under these circumstances is to never make false assumptions and always wait until a safe gap opens up between you and the oncoming vehicle.
This is one of the most common causes of road accidents and is due to a lack of concentration. The driver may be distracted whilst driving or they simply “forget” to look properly. This is so easy to prevent and simply requires that you remain vigilant and alert at all times. Don’t let the music on the radio or another passenger distract you from driving safely. It takes a split-second to cause an accident and a possible lifetime to recover from one.
There aren’t many more frustrating things than having to deal with the aftermath of a road accident. As a valued MyCarNeedsA.com customer, we’re committed to offering you access to accident management services which will get you back on the road as quickly as possible, and minimise disruption to your plans and routine. Find out more about our FREE Accident Aftercare.
