In Fairfield, New Canaan, Darien, and Weston, rear-end collisions happen far too often. A personal injury lawyer in Fairfield County knows that around 1/3 of all United States motor vehicle crashes are rear-end crashes. When it comes to fatal motor vehicle crashes, 11.8 percent are rear-end collisions. Rear-end collisions are also the most common type of motor vehicle accidents at intersections where there are traffic signals.
The key question is: why do so many rear-end accidents happen? Understanding the causes of these collisions as well as the factors that impact the likelihood of an accident is very important in order to try to reduce the dangers that motorists face on the roads. The College of Engineering has recently decided to try to tackle this question in order to shed some light on the important issue of why so many rear-end accidents happen in the United States.
Factors Affecting the Likelihood of Rear-End Accidents
The College of Engineering took a close look at three different factors that can impact the likelihood of rear-end accidents: driver characteristics; road conditions; and type of vehicle.
When it comes to driver characteristics, gender and age both matter. People who are under 25 (and younger drivers in general) are generally more aggressive as they operate their vehicles and are less likely to pay attention. They're more likely to get into a rear-end accident and are more likely to be the driver in the striking vehicle. Older drivers, however, are slower to react and take longer to process information around them. These drivers are more likely to be the lead vehicle that is hit by a rear vehicle at intersections.
As far as gender, men are more aggressive in general and are more likely to be involved in rear-end accidents as the striking vehicle.
When it comes to car size, it turns out that people will actually follow larger vehicles more closely than smaller ones. People leave less space between their car and light trucks than between their car and other passenger cars. The harder it is for the rear driver to see around the lead vehicle, the more closely behind the lead vehicle the rear driver will be.
Road conditions, lighting, weather and traffic patterns matter too. Poorly lit roads and bad weather up the chances that a rear driver is going to hit the back of the vehicle in front of him. More traffic and more densely packed cars also means that there is a greater likelihood of rear-end accidents happening.
Understanding these different risk factors is important so that motorists can make safer and more informed choices. Drivers need to be sure to account for road conditions and leave a sufficient amount of space so they have time to stop even if the car in front of them makes an unexpected move. Both the driver in the front and rear vehicle also need to pay careful attention to the road to reduce rear-end accident dangers.
A Fairfield County personal injury lawyer at Vishno Law Firm can help after a collision. Call 888-222-1688 today.