What are the primary factors of vehicle accidents in California?

Since there are more automobiles on the highways in California than in any other state, there are more car crash victims there. California is not the toughest state for drivers whether evaluated per population or per car mile driven. With such a big population, California sees a lot of catastrophic and deadly car crashes. The first approach toward reduction is to understand the type, scope, occurrence, and causation of fatal accidents in California.

Hundreds of thousands of vehicle accidents happen in California annually. Over the years, the number of people killed in car accidents has increased. According to the “State of California,” 3,723 motor vehicle deaths were reported in 2020, compared to 3,606 in 2019. Unfortunately, many of these collisions are caused by motorists’ irresponsible or careless actions. Understanding and avoiding the most frequent of these habits is essential for drivers, since it may substantially reduce the risk of accidents, injuries, and fatalities.

Speeding

Excessive speed is a regular cause of serious automobile accidents, and it has resulted in several fatalities. Exceeding the speed limit can increase the likelihood of an accident by decreasing a driver’s effective response time and vehicle control. Drivers who are speeding are also more likely to be inebriated or without wearing a seatbelt.

Because of the huge quantity of energy that must be released after a crash, speed-related accidents are more likely to be disastrous. In 2016, speeding was responsible for slightly more than 29% of all fatal accidents in California.

Driving when drunk

Thousands of automobile accidents occur in California each year as a result of drivers who are under the influence of drugs or alcohol. According to the National Highway Road Safety Administration, more than one-quarter of traffic deaths in California have happened in alcohol-related incidents in recent years. California had the highest number of fatalities in these incidents in 2018, with over 1,120 individuals killed.

The use of drugs is also a prevalent cause of serious accidents. According to the California Office of Traffic Safety, 42% of drivers tested after an accident had legal and/or illicit substances in their system in 2018.

Distraction

Another major issue in California is driver distraction. Because proving that attention was a role in an accident can be challenging, the actual number of distracted driving incidents that occur in the state is unclear. The OTS, on the other hand, provides the following data on the prevalence of this harmful habit:

• Drunk driving was directly responsible for 9% of all road deaths in the United States in 2018.
• Distracted driving and text messaging while driving were cited by 70% of Californians as the state’s greatest driving problems in 2019.
• In general, officials think that distraction is a factor in roughly 80% of all accidents in the state.

Many legal types of distraction, such as eating while driving, can nevertheless increase the chance of a vehicle accident. Unfortunately, these practices persist because many drivers are unaware of or underestimating the risk of an accident.

Taking responsibility for drivers

Victims or their surviving family members may have legal redress if an accident happens as a result of any of these irresponsible acts. If a motorist is determined to be at fault in an accident, he or she may be held responsible for the injuries, financial losses, and other damages that occur. Documenting the facts of a collision and determining a driver’s culpability, on the other hand, can be difficult. As a result, victims of accidents involving any of these variables may benefit from seeking legal guidance on how to navigate the claims procedure.