What Are the Most Common Causes of Head-On Collisions?
Most car accidents are minor in nature, but head-on collisions can be devastating – especially when they occur at higher speeds. Head-on collision victims often end up with debilitating injuries, facing enormous challenges like lengthy intensive care, enormous medical expenses, and loss of income. These losses can threaten the financial security of an accident victim’s entire family.
A majority of the head-on collisions are the direct result of someone’s negligence, and it is very important to understand what causes these disastrous crashes so that you can learn to protect yourself and other road users more effectively. Often, these collisions lead to severe injuries and leave behind victims who have to pay a heavy price in financial, mental, and emotional terms.
How Are Head-On Collisions More Devastating?
All motor vehicle accidents are potentially dangerous and can cause serious injuries or death. However, head-on collisions are deadlier than other collisions. This is because when two vehicles collide head-on, the force of the impact is doubled.
According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration statistics, head-on collisions account for just about 2 percent of road accidents. However, and more worryingly, these crashes result in nearly 10 percent of all road accident fatalities.
Some Typical Causes of Head-On Accidents
No two motor vehicle collisions are the same, and there may be a different set of circumstances behind each accident. Here are some of the common causes of head-on collisions:
Driving While Distracted
The past one and half decades have seen distracted driving emerge as one of the deadliest and topmost causes of head-on collisions on the United States roadways. Technology, which is otherwise useful in our daily lives, has turned into an affliction that threatens safe driving on our roads.
Talking, playing music, or using various apps on the cell phone while driving, lead to distraction that poses a risk to not only the distracted driver but other road users as well. All those activities that lead to a driver losing focus on the road ahead, be it eating or paying attention to a child in the car, can lead to fatal head-on collisions.
Influence of Alcohol and Drugs on Driving
Driving under the influence results in severe impairment of judgment on the part of the individual behind the wheel of a motor vehicle. The intoxication also leads to a driver losing their concentration, hugely impacting quick reaction times and clear decision-making in crisis situations.
Misguided driving decisions taken by an inebriated driver may prove catastrophic for co-passengers, other road users, and the driver themselves. Late-night partying and drinking combined with driving under the influence leads to head-on collisions, leaving tragedy in its wake, with serious injuries or deaths.
Influence of Inclement Weather Conditions
Bad weather such as heavy downpours, dense fog, and snow leads to rapid deterioration of road conditions and affects visibility, causing devastating head-on crashes as drivers are unable to control their vehicles.
Lack of Experience Behind the Wheel
Often, teenaged drivers lack driving experience and have little understanding of road etiquette or regulations. Add bravado to inexperience, and you have a deadly combination leading to situations that are dangerous for everyone on the road.
Extreme Fatigue and Sleeplessness
This holds true especially for commercial truck drivers who sometimes keep driving without much rest or sleep, making them extremely tired and sleepy. This leads to slow reaction times and a lack of clear judgment in critical situations, causing head-on collisions and other serious accidents.
Unpredictable and Rash Driving
Combative and unpredictable drivers who change lanes at the last second, weave in and out of traffic, tailgate the vehicles ahead, and cut off other road users, cause serious accidents by creating hazardous situations on the road.
Speeding
Needless speeding can be a safety hazard for everyone on the road. A driver moving at excessively high speeds runs the risk of missing road signs, jumping red lights, or crashing into oncoming traffic.
Road Repair
Construction zones can prove very dangerous as drivers need to be very careful and patient while driving through them. An impatient driver might fail to notice new traffic patterns due to ongoing road repair or construction and cause a head-on collision against the flow of the traffic pattern.
Typical Injuries in Head-on Collisions
Like most other road accidents, a head-on collision can cause serious damage to any part of your body. Here are some of the most common injuries that victims of head-on vehicle accidents suffer:
- Traumatic Brain Injuries (TBI)
- Spinal cord injuries
- Internal organ damage
- Broken bones
- Concussions
- Bruises and cuts
- Internal bleeding
Apart from grievous physical injuries, major head-on accidents can lead to post-traumatic stress disorder. According to the American Psychological Association, motor-vehicle accidents are in fact the leading cause of PTSD in the United States.
Consult a Reputable Kentucky Car Accident Attorney
If you or a loved one has been the victim of a head-on collision, the auto accident lawyers at John H. Ruby & Associates can help protect your legal interests and recover the maximum compensation you are entitled to. Call us today at (502) 895-2626 or contact us online to schedule a free consultation.