Top Four Types of Car Accidents

Top Four Types of Car Accidents

I’m Ed Smith, a Sacramento car accident lawyer. Car accidents are a primary cause of both injury and death in the United States. In areas with high traffic such as California 3,680 people died in 2016. This is a 13-percent increase from 2015’s fatality rate. One explanation for the high number of deaths is that with a better economy and lower gas prices, more people are taking to the road. Drug use and distracted driving are significant reasons why so many accidents happen. Let’s look at the incidence of crashes in Sacramento and the four types of car accidents that are most common.

Incidence of Accidents and Their Cost

Accidents take a toll on our society. In general, there were 6,296,000 vehicular accidents nationwide in 2015. The cost of accidents is about $230 billion dollars each year. In addition, they cause more deaths than any other cause, including infections and other diseases.

Accidents in Sacramento

In 2015, the last year for which data is available, Sacramento saw 4,502 accidents that resulted in injury and death. This places Sacramento third out of 15 other cities in the state, according to the California Office of Traffic Safety. The highest number of accidents were related to speed and alcohol use. Hit and run accidents have become common in the city also.

Rollover Accidents

Rollover accidents are brutal, and their fatality rate is higher than most other types of crashes. Rollovers are of two different types. Tripped rollovers occur when a vehicle hits an object such as another car, soft dirt or the curb. It usually occurs when the vehicle is moving in a sideways direction. When the tires contact the object, the lateral forces are increased. A side impact can also lead to a rollover.

Untripped rollovers occur due to destabilization of a vehicle. This commonly happens when rounding a curve too fast.  Some vehicles are more prone to untripped rollovers such as SUVs with a high center of gravity.

After a rollover, the vehicle may be found lying on its roof or side. Problems arise when the roof is weak and collapses on the occupants.

Rear End Collisions

Rear end collisions make up about 30 percent of the four types of car accidents and have the dubious distinction of being the most common crash type. Tailgating often results in a rear end collision since the vehicle behind is following too closely to stop if need be. Distracted driving combined with congested roads lead to rear end collisions.

In order to avoid colliding with the vehicle in front of you, the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety warns drivers to allow at least one car length for every 10 mph. That means if you are traveling at 55 mph, you need six car lengths between you and the lead vehicle to be able to stop in time.

T-Bone Crashes

T-Bone crashes, or side impact accidents, occur when two vehicles on the road are traveling perpendicular to each other. This often happens at intersections when one vehicle travels through a traffic light and hits the other car or truck. Such crashes can be deadly and account for 25 percent of accident deaths.

Head-On Crashes

Head-on crashes happen when two vehicles are traveling toward one another and collide. It usually happens at high speeds. This type of crash is usually deadly and often caused by an impaired driver. Due to the speed and weight of both vehicles hurling toward one another, air bags may not have time to deploy properly.

Sacramento Car Accident and Personal Injury Lawyer

I’m Ed Smith, a Sacramento car accident lawyer. If you have been in one of the four types of car accidents, you need the help of an experienced lawyer to make sure your rights are protected. Call me at (916) 921-6400 or (800) 404-5400 for friendly and free advice. You can reach me online also by going to my contact us page.

I’ve helped many Sacramento residents to obtain the compensation they deserve for traumatic brain injury and other types of accidents.

I’m a member of the Million Dollar Forum, a nationwide group of trial attorneys who have won $1 million for clients.

If you want to know more about me and my practice, go to the following pages:

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