There are various reasons why car accidents happen. These include reckless driving, speeding, and other violations of traffic laws.
Defective Vehicles
Every year, mechanical failures cause thousands of car accidents. While some vehicle malfunctions can be due to a lack of maintenance, others are caused by severe manufacturing errors that could have been prevented. Auto manufacturers often make sloppy mistakes when they rush to meet production deadlines and place profits above consumer safety.
Driver-related critical reasons for crashes include a variety of behaviors such as speeding, reckless driving, and distracted driving. In addition to these significant mistakes, performance errors occur when the driver over-reacts to a situation. These mistakes account for less than ten percent of all driver-related crash causes.
When a defective vehicle causes an accident, the manufacturer of the car or a specific component might be held liable. For example, a product liability lawsuit might be necessary if the seatbelt fails to do its job or an airbag deploys unexpectedly and injures you. A Chico car accident attorney can help determine the most likely responsible parties and file a claim on your behalf.
Driver Error
Vehicle collisions can cause significant harm, including damage to the automobile, severe personal injuries, and even loss of life. In most cases, the accident occurred because of a driver’s mistake or negligence. Driver error causes more car accidents than any other factor.
Driver errors can include sending a text to adjust the radio while driving. These distractions can make it difficult to react to road hazards or see other vehicles in time to avoid a collision.
The driver errors that can lead to a crash include recognition-based, non-performance-based, and inaction-based errors. Recognizing a potential risk takes time, and it can take even more time to brake or swerve to prevent an accident. Non-performance-based errors typically occur when a driver isn’t physically prepared to respond to a threat, and inaction-based errors happen when a driver fails to act after recognizing the potential risk. One common mistake people make is experiencing fatigue, resulting in reduced attention and response time.
Roadway-Related Factors
Sometimes even the safest drivers can be victims of roadway-related accidents. A poorly maintained roadway can reduce wheel traction and cause cars to lose control. This can also occur due to weather conditions like rain or snow that make roads slippery. These weather-related factors can also affect the mechanical performance of a car’s brake system.
A study of intersection crashes identified several roadway and environmental risk factors influencing crash injury severity. One factor is pavement friction; the others include functional classification (urban location, roadway design class, and surface condition), road width, guardrails, right shoulder, and critical environmental conditions.
These risk factors can influence a driver’s ability to react quickly and make sound judgment decisions behind the wheel. This may be why many young people are involved in car accidents – their reaction times are slower, and their judgment is impaired by drowsiness or using technology while driving.
Design or Manufacturing Errors
Every car on the road should maintain a high standard of safety. Manufacturers must ensure that their vehicles and essential parts are designed and engineered safely. However, even if a vehicle is not inherently unsafe, a mechanical failure can increase the risk of collisions or exacerbate injuries in the event of an accident.
Any error in the design, production, shipping, or distribution of a critical part or vehicle component can lead to a devastating accident. When these errors are at play, it is challenging to determine a responsible party.