Underlying Factors Behind Motor Vehicle Accidents
Serge Semirog
When someone is in a car crash, it is likely due to a driver's carelessness and human error. If you happen to be on the receiving end of the accident, make sure to watch out for the following symptoms which suggest that the other driver was not at 100%:
Alcohol or Drug Usage
Naturally, alcohol and drugs have severe effects on the human body, especially behind the wheel. An alarming number of fatal motor vehicle accidents are linked to alcohol or drug consumption prior to the incident.
If the driver gets out of his car but is unable to stand up straight or walk in a straight line, he or she may have been driving under the influence. Maybe the driver's eyes are glazed over, or perhaps he or she is twitching uncontrollably and unable to stay attentive, suggesting prior drug use. At any rate, the driver should not be behind the wheel!
Fatigue
No matter how much coffee we consume, fatigue catches ups to us and hits hard. Just waking up or teetering after an exhausting ten-hour shift, reaction times are slowed and your attention is elsewhere. The circumstances don't matter; if a driver's eyes can't stay open and he or she can't react to stimuli in a timely manner, they should not be driving.
New Driver
Music blaring, window down, and singing along with all of their friends in the car, young drivers have an incredibly high chance to get in a car accident due to their inexperience (and this is certainly reflected in their car insurance premiums!). If you notice that the other driver most likely just got their license within the year, he or she will probably be incredibly shaken, no matter the severity. Assure the other driver that everything will be fine, and teach him or her how to exchange insurance information so that you can still recover.
Old
On the other hand, if the driver is going significantly slower than the average speed, eyes glued to the road but could still miss a deer even if it was right in front of him or her, it is likely that the driver is simply old. With old age comes deterioration in reaction times and eye sight among other things. These are notable contributing factors to motor vehicle accidents.
Physical Impairment
Let's say one day, little Johnny is about to go for a drive. But, oh no!, little Johnny forgot where his glasses are and can't see all too well. And, even though his license states that he requires corrective lenses, he still needs to drive and does so. As a result, Johnny gets into a wreck because he didn't see that the speed limit was much lower than he thought. Double-check that the driver can see properly, otherwise you may miss a very important contributing factor.
Distraction
Finally, usually presented in combination with some of the other problems, drivers can simply be distracted. Ranging from texting while driving or being really into the song on the radio or even eating while driving (not to mention putting on makeup, getting dressed, or shaving), distractions are ever-present. An open container of Chinese or a cell phone in the driver's hands suggests that he or she was probably more concerned about food or the person on the other line rather than safety on the road.
Any number of elements can contribute to motor vehicle accidents so be on the look-out should you ever be in such an unfortunate circumstance.