Why Do Car Accidents Happen? And what can we do to avoid them?

It’s common for us to hear reports of car accidents in the local news, or even hear a work colleague talking about someone they know who’s been involved in an accident. As terrible as those accidents sound, it’s easy to brush them off and assume that it’ll never happen to you and your family.

Sadly, you’re wrong. Every year thousands of accidents are reported on the roads. Most resulting in terrible injuries and with life-changing consequences. If you’ve been in a road accident that could have been avoided, have a call with a car accident lawyer in the Lafayette area as soon as possible to discuss what happened.

So, why do so many car accidents happen every year? And what can we possibly do to avoid them? Read on to find out more.


The idea of falling asleep behind the wheel sounds preposterous. How could anyone possibly dare to close their eyes when they’re driving? But again, the number of people who drive fatigued and end up causing road accidents may surprise you.

Maybe you’ve just finished a long shift at work, you’re up at all hours with a new baby and you’re overtired or perhaps you’re driving long distance. Driving whilst fatigued means drivers can’t react quickly enough to hazards, and they may also drift into other lanes or leave the road entirely!

Drunk driving

How anyone could still be selfish enough to drive whilst drunk in 2020 is beyond comprehension. And yet, every year thousands of traffic accidents are caused by people who are too drunk to drive. Perhaps they’ve had too many drinks after work with their friends and they don’t want to get a taxi, or they’ve had too many glasses of wine with dinner at a restaurant – whatever the circumstances may be, there really is no excuse.

Drunk driving means your reflexes and response times are compromised, your coordination is poor and you’re more likely to take risks and recognize dangers.

Distracted driving

Distracted driving kills. Yet so many of us do it without even realizing it. The most obvious form of distracted driving is using your smartphone behind the wheel. Whether you’re answering a call, replying to a DM or you’re simply checking a notification, you’re not giving the road ahead your full attention.

Other forms of distracted driving include eating and drinking behind the wheel, turning in your seat to speak with other passengers, adjusting your radio or your car controls, and even applying makeup!


Running late? Or just stuck behind a slow driver and getting frustrated? Speeding is the reason behind a high number of road collisions each year. Speed limits are put in place to keep everyone, including pedestrians, horse riders and cyclists, safe on the roads. When we exceed them, even slightly, we’re putting others at risk and are more likely to lose control of the vehicle and cause an accident.

Final thoughts

If you’ve ever been involved in a car accident that shouldn’t have happened, then reach out to a personal injury lawyer as soon as possible.

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