Fatal Car Accidents - Essay

Fatal Car Accidents

        For many decades, the car has been one of the greatest innovations in the world. It facilitates transportation for people and takes them to any place they want. Nowadays, however, cars have become one of the most dangerous means of transportation because of unfortunate driving behavior from certain people. In other words, drinking alcohol, speeding, and using cell phones while driving are some of the causes that have led to many adverse effects.

        Drinking alcohol while driving is a major cause of car accidents around the world. Alcohol reduces the driver’s ability to make appropriate decisions and affects one’s mental functions while driving. As a result, the driver loses the ability to concentrate on the most important driving tasks, such as vehicle speed, direction, and attentiveness to other cars on the road. Therefore, this behavior is more likely to result in a crash that may include injuries or deaths. In a recent study released by California Department of Motor Vehicles (DMV), “In 2012, there were 23,868 car accidents involving alcohol-impaired driver.”

        A second cause of car accidents is speeding above speed limits. Many drivers speed up their cars beyond speed limits, especially at night when there is less traffic. When someone drives very fast, it’s hard for that person to keep the car on track, or that driver may not react quickly in case of unexpected occurrences. Some drivers are very confident about their driving skills even though they lose control of their vehicles. As a consequence of losing control of the car at a high speed, the risk of being involved in a crash where someone might be injured or killed increases.

        Last but not least, using cell phones is another cause of car accidents. Nowadays, people use their cell phones many times during the day without realizing how often they use them. They use their phones while they drive without paying attention to the road or other drivers. They get distracted easily by using them, which sometimes end up causing a car accident. According to a study released by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) and the Virginia Tech Transportation Institute (VTTI), “Talking on a cell phone increases the risk of a car accident or near car accident 1.3 times while dialing a cell phone increases the risk of a car accident or near car accident 2.8 times than the normal risk of car accidents.”