Why Has There Been a Rise in Car Crash Cases in the Recent Past

According to preliminary estimates by the National Safety Council, over 40,000 people died due to road accidents in 2020 compared to 39,000 in 2019. The figures were surprisingly high given that fewer cars were on the road in 2020.

The numbers are increasing daily and 2021 is destined to record the highest road accident deaths ever. The first quarter of 2021 recorded a 10% increase compared to the same period in 2020. The statistics are horrifying and experts and stakeholders are working hard to understand what’s driving these numbers that high.

Driving under influence

Driving under influence accidents and deaths come second and are a major cause of an increase in car crashes in the US. DUI can be a result of excessive drinking or the use of narcotic drugs.

Compared to distracted driving accidents that happen any time of the day, DUI accidents mostly happen at night and increase sharply over the weekends. Car accident lawyers get a lot of calls from drivers facing various degrees of DUI charges.

Teenage drivers on the road

Teenagers are full of energy and inexperienced on the road, yet they make many mistakes that lead to fatal accidents. They speed their cars probably to show off their friends that they are good on the wheel.

Some drink excessively and still want to take control of their parent’s car. Accidents caused by teenagers increase during holidays and on the weekends when they are not in school. The situation could be worse if the teenager took the car keys and drove off without alerting their parents.

Whichever place they will be driving, they will be in a rush so that they can finish their mission and get back home before their parents show up. This is riskier because the teenager might have distracted driving, they might tailgate and dangerously obstruct other motorists and cause fatal accidents.

Tailgating

Tailgating is one of the major causes of accidents in the US and it happens when a motorist is in a hurry to get to their destination. They drive too close to the vehicle ahead, hoping to overtake immediately when they get the chance. Mostly, this never happens and if the driver ahead sees an obstacle and brakes suddenly, the tailgating driver will have no braking distance and they bang the vehicle at full speed.

Bad road conditions

Bad road conditions are not a major contributor to accidents on the US roads but it does significantly contribute to a certain percentage. When the weather is bad and motorists can barely see the vehicles ahead, they might get car cash. Other causes are strong wind, snow on the road, or water during heavy rains.

Distracted driving

You might wonder why a motorist should allow themselves to be distracted while on the road but technology is the greatest cause for distractions. A driver gets on the road and wants to answer a telephone call without the use of headphones. A message comes and they can’t wait to check who it’s from or they want to chat on social media and drive at the same time.

When distracted, the motorist will not pay attention to other motorists or obstacles on the road and they will likely cause an accident. The many victims who contact Devkota Law Firm, the most renowned Kansas City personal injury attorneys, prove that there has been an increase in court cases involving distracted driving. The attorneys have helped thousands of their clients win cases touching on various motor vehicle accident issues, medical/pharmaceutical accidents, work injuries, bicycle accidents, boats, and train accidents.