Top 5 Types of Car Accidents

Car accident! Just saying it out loud conjures images of shattering glass, crumpled metal and oftentimes, serious injuries. Driving a car is a serious responsibility and not one to ever be taken lightly. Chances are, if you haven’t already, you most likely will be involved in some kind of car accident in your lifetime. Just what kind can depend on a number of variables. Below is a list of the 5 most common types of car accidents and a bit of information about each type.

1. Singe car accident-Maybe you swerved to miss hitting a squirrel and struck a guardrail. Or maybe you slid on some ice and your car left the road and hit a tree. These are just 2 of the many ways a single car accident may go down. These types of accidents are often the fault of the driver and can range from a minor incident involving a dented bumper, to the most serious kind resulting in death. Controlling speed, being mindful of the road, and wearing your seatbelt can certainly help reduce serious injuries when dealing with such an accident.
2. Car rollover-these types of car accidents are usually single car accidents and they represent the most violent type, often resulting in serious injury or death. Cars leaving the roadway and rolling down an embankment or excessive speed are often found to be the cause of a car rollover.
3. Side impacts-Often known as a T-Bone; these types of collisions occur when one car slams into the side of another. These car accidents often take place at intersections. Running red lights or stop signs are often the causes of these types of collisions.
4. Rear end collision-If you are in the front of one of these, you will likely suffer from whiplash. If you are the one who rear ended the car in front of you, you may suffer this as well and you will LIKELY be at fault for the accident to boot. Rear end collisions are extremely common in high traffic situations, especially the dreaded STOP AND GO traffic jams we are all too familiar with. Rear end collisions are why we were told in driver’s ed to keep several car lengths between our vehicle and the one in front of us…but as we know, people rarely heed this advice when on the road.
5. Head on collisions-These types of car accidents are the things of nightmares. One scenario involves a vehicle travelling down a highway, going 60 miles per hour or faster, and then coming up on someone who is travelling the WRONG WAY on the same stretch of road, resulting in the two vehicles slamming head on into each other. While this exact scenario is fairly rare, it does happen and oftentimes results in death. In this type of car accident, the impact is extremely intense, akin to one driving DIRECTLY into a brick wall…the vehicle stops immediately with the passengers thrust forward, and in some cases, the car can be thrown about, flipped over, or even crushed like a tin can. Other head on collisions can occur at much slower rates of speed, such as on slower driven back roads, or at intersections, but nonetheless, they often cause severe damage and, in many cases, serious injuries.

No, this article was not written to try to scare you into never driving again. BUT…being aware of your surroundings, always wearing your seatbelt, and keeping in mind the most common types of car accidents can possibly help to lessen the risk of your being in an accident in the future.