Thousands of car accidents occur every day resulting in death or serious injury to drivers, passengers,  and pedestrians. There are numerous reasons for car accidents but by far the most common is driver error. The Automobile Association has compiled a lists of the top causes for most accidents. Here is a list of the top 10 driver error causes.

10.    Bad roads — Have you ever driven on a paved road that felt like a dirt road or worse. Pot holes and uneven pavement can and do lead to serious car accidents by throwing you off course and out of control of your vehicle. Bad roads are not unusual in some places so its up to you as a driver to be able to control your vehicle.

9.    Reckless driving – Willfully disregarding traffic regulations and exhibiting aggressive driving tactics such as changing lanes without signaling. I see this one all the time. 

8.    Speeding – Exceeding the posted speed limit for the zone you are driving in/through is classified as speeding. The faster you go the harder it is to stop. Speed limits are imposed for safety reasons especially in school zones and busy pedestrian areas.

7.    Driver Distraction – Taking your eyes off the road to temporarily tend to something going on inside your car. Doing things such as apply make up, shave, or find articles inside your car can be a serious error in judgement.

6.    Drug use – Involves driving under the influence of any type of perception altering subatsnce. These substances include illegal drugs like cocane, crack, LSD, Meth infethamines, and marijuana. Be careful of over the counter medications that causes drousiness  

5.    Drunk driving – Traditionally responsible for one of the countyry highest death rates. The
National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) estimates that 17,941 people died in 2006 in "alcohol-related" collisions, representing 40 percent of total traffic deaths in the US. Thebest technique to aid with preventing drunk driving is to make it a policy to take keys from friends, when you know they’ve been drinking. You may also wish to drive them home, or hire any one of a number of services designed to get the driver and his car home safely.

4.    Rubbernecking – rubbernecking is the foremost cause of traffic accidents and related injuries. The act of looking at something as you drive by. People do it when they come past an accident. They take their eyes off the road to gawk at the accident and end up causing one themself.

3.    Eating in the car – eating often lead to disaster when driving. Far too many accidents have been caused by people trying to avoid getting crumbs or mustard on their pants. Another great piece of advice is to make sure you have adequately sized drink holders, so you won’t have to place your drink between your legs.  Many more accidents yet have been caused because a lid popped off or a drink was spilled on a driver’s lap.

2.    Changing CD/Radio – Do not take changing the radio or inserting a CD for granted. These activities have shown to contribute to higher incidences of car accidents.     


1.    Cell phone use – Not surprising that in its brief history the cell phone has taken over as the #1   cause for traffic accidents. Add Texting even more recently. Use hands free devices such as blue tooth with caution also as they do not guarantee 100% that you will not be distracted. 

 Keeping these points in mind can make you a better driver, prevent you thousands of dollars in repair fees or most importantly save your life. Simply put, Stay alert to stay alive.