If you've been driving for a number of years, there's a good chance you've almost rear-ended someone—or perhaps you've been in a rear-end accident already, either as the victim or the at-fault driver. Rear-end accidents are some of the most common, especially since the number of distracted drivers on the road is higher than ever due to cell phone use while driving. Rear-end accidents may be unavoidable in certain situations, but one thing is for sure: you don't want to be the one doing the rear-ending because that will almost always put you at-fault for an accident. In addition for being held responsible, you may also have to live with the fact that your actions have severely injured people in the car you hit.
What are the most common reasons that cars get rear-ended? A few include:
- Following too closely. This is also known as tailgating, and you probably see it on the road every day. If someone is driving too slowly for your liking, change lanes safely, or just deal with it—but do not drive too closely to their bumper to show your urgency. If they hit their brakes suddenly, you're in big trouble.
- Distracted driving. We touched on this briefly before, but distracted driving is a huge reason for accidents. Whether a person is chatting on the phone, changing the radio station, or grabbing a snack from their bag, one thing is for sure: they are not devoting their full attention to the road.
- Changes in speed. This can be a frustrating one for most drivers—because even if you're paying attention to the road, you could still accidentally rear-end someone when they hit their brakes suddenly. This could happen because a dog ran into the road, or the lead driver realized they were just about to miss their exit on the highway.
The best thing you can do while driving is pay attention, follow the rules of the road, and hopefully, you won't ever have to deal with an accident of any kind.
If you've been involved in an auto accident in Texas, Arkansas, or Oklahoma, contact Girards Law for a free consultation at 888-897-2762.