Common causes of motor vehicle accidents

North Carolina motorists might be more likely to be involved in a fatal car crash than in previous years with an 8 percent increase in the number of deadly motor vehicle accidents happening around the country between 2014 and 2015. There was another increase in 2016. One way to reduce the likelihood of an accident may be to better understand why they happen, and there are a few common causes.

Around 6 percent of pedestrian deaths occur in accidents involving a driver making a rolling stop. The problem is that the rolling stop creates too much multitasking for the driver. Falling asleep is another common cause of car accidents. Experts say people do a bad job of estimating how tired they are, and drowsy drivers are involved in 21 percent of deadly car accidents and 7 percent of all crashes.

In 11 percent of accidents, people lose control of their vehicles. While many people may assume they are too skilled to have this happen, studies show that people tend to overestimate their driving ability. Another 12 percent of car accidents occur when a driver proceeds despite being unable to see any obstacles ahead. Up to 30 percent of accidents are caused by a driver crashing into the rear of another vehicle, and drifting out of the lane causes around one-third of all accidents.

These types of accidents can be devastating physically, emotionally and financially. A person who is injured by another driver in a motor vehicle accident may have medical expenses and the cost of vehicle repair or replacement to contend with. Compensation from the other driver may be important to paying these bills, but the at-fault motorist's insurance company might not offer enough to cover these expenses. An attorney could take the lead in attempting to obtain a more appropriate offer.