Causes of Car Crashes - Research Paper Example

Before the invention of fuel powered vehicles, it was difficult to even think about going for long-distanced journeys. However cars have solved this problem and with the world so dependent on technology, these vehicles have become a need rather than a want. However as with every other thing, there are two sides of the story. Even though transportation has become a lot more convenient because of the cars, it has also resulted in large number of deaths and casualties as a consequence of car crashes. There are many causes of car crashes such has human, mechanical and neutral. Out of all the reasons associated with human errors, distraction is the most important cause of car accidents. Distracted drivers are a leading cause of the majority of the accidents that take place. A study conducted by the Highway Loss Data Institute confirmed that most of the cases of road accidents were actually a result of distracted drivers. Many a times these drivers were quite experienced but distraction for a slight amount of time caused the accident. The distraction may come in many forms. Texting or using a cell phone are very common and are considered to be a leading cause for distraction. Others include searching for something inside the car, eating food or drinking, applying makeup or reading a sign board (Larson). After distraction, comes speeding. Drivers often drive at high speeds if they have to reach some place faster or if they have an emergency. Some drivers enjoy driving the car at high speed. However as the saying goes, ‘Speed thrills, but kills’, high speed often end up in a road accident. When a person drives at high speed and some vehicle comes at him from a turn or from the front, it is near impossible to stop it instantly. As a result, the car screeches and it takes some time before it comes to a stop. This time is sometimes enough to cause a collision and massive damage to both the cars. Also, it is advisable near turns to keep a low speed since the driver is unaware of whether any car would be coming from the turn and as a result a collision may take place because of the high speed. The third most important human cause is of drinking. Drinking induces a sense of dizziness and obscures proper vision as well as inhibits proper hand and eye coordination. As a result, the person becomes partially unaware of his surroundings and may drive recklessly. Also the dizziness slows down the senses of the driver and as such he is unable to react quickly to a dangerous situation which may ultimately result in an accident. Sometimes, even when the driver is quite alert and careful, the mechanical defects may cause the car to crash. Although there can be a number of mechanical defects that may cause car crashes, brake failures are the most damaging. Fortunately the total failure of break system is very rare and only five percent of the total road accidents in the United States are actually causes by some problem in the brake system. Brake failure can occur due to a number of reasons, including but not limited to negligence of the driver, faulty installation of the system by the company or faulty servicing of the vehicle. Often when the driver is travelling even at a normal speed on the road, and encounters a car in front, then even if he wishes to stop the car, the brake failure does not allow him to. In the end, car crash is unavoidable and massive damage is caused (Fazioli). The brake failures do end up in accidents most of the time however the leading mechanical cause of car crashes is the tires. Tires are the most vital part of the vehicle and many car accidents occur because the tires are not quite fit for the road. Tires need to be inflated up to the right amount and if they are over or under inflated, they may blow out. The blow out is quite violent and causes the car to unbalance making it very difficult to control the car. This blow-out results in the car colliding with another car or a tree. Also tires need to have a good grip on the road therefore tire treads are an essential to driving a vehicle. Wear and tear due to extensive travelling and lack of servicing can cause the tires to lose their grip on the road, making the cars skid. Similarly there is certain depth of tire tread that needs to be followed and if that boundary is crossed, then the tires are no longer fit for the road. Such tires, when used result in car crashes. Lastly the steering and suspension problems also result in car crashes. Suspension system is necessary as it holds the tires in contact with the ground and a good suspension and steering system is vital while turning. If there is a problem is the suspension, then an accident is impossible to avoid. The damage is much larger if the driver is driving at high speed. Human and mechanical causes are causes that are a result of errors on somebody’s part, but there are also neutral causes that may result in car crashes. Neutral causes of car crashes include the extreme weather conditions like the rain, snow and fog. Out of these three, rain is the most prevalent cause of road accidents. Rain causes a lot of changes to the driving conditions which pose a great difficulty for the drivers. First of all, it makes the road slippery causing the cars to have a weaker grip on the road. This causes two problems: First that at high speeds, it would take a longer time to stop the car. Moreover it would cause a great deal of problem while turning since the grip is now weaker. Apart from making the road slippery and affecting the functionality of the car, rain also reduces visibility. The lack of proper vision makes it very difficult for the driver to see properly and provides him with very little reaction time if he encounters another vehicle. Even though visibility is less of a problem with snow, the functionality of the car is still affected as the road conditions are altered. Finally, the fog causes a really big problem for the drivers (BBC). Even though it does not affect the road, it is the most annoying of the natural causes mentioned above. The lack of proper visibility makes it extremely difficult for the cars to drive or stop especially on a traffic signal where the nearby cars and even the signal are not properly visible. A large number of car crashes take place because the drivers are not able to see what is in front of them. As mentioned above, there are many causes of the road accidents which include the human, mechanical and the neutral causes like the weather conditions. Since the number of road accidents is constantly on the rise, the drivers must keep their cars in good condition so that any chance of accident due to mechanical failure is reduced. Similarly the drivers should only pay attention to driving while inside the car since many accidents are caused due to lack of attention while driving. While nothing can be done about the neutral causes, a person should drive with extreme care in such conditions. Care is the most important preventive measure of car crashes and if the drivers start driving more carefully, then many of these can be avoided. Works Cited BBC. Freezing rain causes more than 100 crashes in Cumbria. 9 Feb 2012. Web. 02 July 2012. Fazioli, Thomas. Trucking Accidents Caused by Brake and Tire Failure. n.d. Web. 02 July 2012. Larson, Aaron. Distracted Drivers and Auto Accidents. n.d. Web. 02 July 2012. Read More