The Most Common Causes of Serious Car Accidents in California

January 28, 2021

Vehicle accidents occur regularly throughout the state of California. In most vehicle accident cases, the property damage and injuries are relatively minor. However, that is not always the case. Serious vehicle accidents occur regularly throughout the state, and these incidents can lead to catastrophic injuries for those involved. Here, we want to discuss the most common causes of serious vehicle accidents in California.

How Often Do Serious Vehicle Accidents in California Occur?

According to data available from the California Office of Traffic Safety, we can see that there were more than 272,000 total traffic accident injuries recorded during this latest reporting year across the state. While not all of these injuries were severe, there were still crashes that lead to significant injuries as well as fatalities.

During that same year of data mentioned above, there were 3,563 total fatalities and more than 16,000 total serious injuries. While there is no exact definition of what a “serious” injury is in a vehicle accident, this is typically meant to indicate an injury that alters a victim’s lifestyle and their ability to work. A serious injury frequently means that a victim has been disabled or suffered from significant scarring or disfigurement.

There are many ways that a severe injury can occur in a vehicle accident. However, some of the most common types of accidents that tend to have a higher probability of victims sustaining a severe injury include the following:

  • Side-impact collisions
  • Head-on collisions
  • Rollover collisions

Common Causes of Serious Vehicle Accidents

There are various causes of serious car accidents on the roadways of California. In general, we will see that the following driving behaviors tend to cause serious car accidents:

  • Impaired driving. Alcohol- and drugs were responsible for nearly 30% of all fatal accidents during the latest reporting year across the state of California. This number has remained relatively steady over the last five years and indicates that crashes involving impaired drivers often happen at high speeds.
  • Distracted driving. Distracted driving behavior is hazardous and is on the rise as technology becomes more and more integrated into our lives. According to the CDC, sending or receiving a text message while driving at 55 mph is the equivalent of taking your eyes off the roadway for the entire length of a football field. There are various types of distracted driving, including using a mobile device, adjusting the radio, applying makeup, eating, talking to others in the vehicle, and more.
  • Speeding. Data available from the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety indicates that approximately 27% of all fatal car accidents in the United States occur due to speed-related accidents. The faster a vehicle goes, the more likely the incident is to result in a fatality or a catastrophic injury for those involved.

Work With an Accident Attorney Today

If you or someone you care about has been injured in a serious vehicle collision in California, seek assistance from an attorney as soon as possible. A skilled Orange County car accident attorney will have the resources necessary to conduct a complete investigation into your case in order to determine liability and help obtain full compensation for your losses. This can include coverage of all medical bills, lost income, out-of-pocket costs, pain and suffering losses, property damage expenses, and more.