No matter how much you strive to be safe on the road, there can be accidents. This is why you must take certain actions to prevent such situations because they can sometimes be serious and life-threatening.
Moreover, it has been estimated that more than 120 000 road accidents happen in Great Britain annually, with many incidents resulting in thousands of casualties.
The following explores the types, causes, and UK road accident preventative measures you can practice:
Types of Road Traffic Accidents
Road traffic accidents can vary in nature and severity, resulting in different types of incidents. Here are some common types of road traffic accidents in the UK:
- Rollover Accident – This happens when a vehicle flips onto its roof or side. Rollover accidents are commonly associated with SUVs, trucks, or vehicles with a higher centre of gravity.
- Rear-end Collision – This type of road accident occurs when one vehicle collides with the back of another car and often happens due to sudden tailgating or braking.
- Single-car Accident – This involves a vehicle crashing into a solid object, such as a tree, utility pole, or rail, without colliding with another vehicle.
- Side-impact Collision – This road accident occurs when one vehicle crashes—at a perpendicular angle—into the side of another vehicle. Side-impact collisions are also commonly known as T-bone or broadside collisions.
- Head-on Collision – This road accident happens when two vehicles travelling in opposite directions collide with each other.
Causes of Road Traffic Accidents
There are many contributory factors that cause road traffic accidents. Whether it be the driver’s or rider’s fault, these reasons indicate that safety is paramount when you walk out the door and drive your vehicle.
Below are the common causes of road traffic accidents in Great Britain in 2022:
Road Environmental Contributors
Road environment is one of the contributory factors reported in accidents. Defective road surface, slippery roads due to weather, deposits on the road (oil, mud, and chippings), inadequate road markings, and defective traffic signals, among other roadway environmental conditions, are the common contributory factors reported in more than 7,500 accidents in Great Britain in 2022.
Vehicle Defects
Vehicle defects are also recorded as one of the contributory factors for approximately 1,200 road traffic incidents in Great Britain last year, or 2 per cent of accidents in 2022. These include illegal, defective, or under-inflated tyres, overloaded or poorly loaded vehicles or trailers, and defective lights, brakes, steering, and mirrors.
Driver/Rider Error or Reaction
Most road traffic incidents also come from errors or reactions of drivers or riders, including:
- Sudden braking or swerving;
- poor turn or manoeuvre;
- loss of control;
- failure to look properly and provide the correct signal; and,
- failure to judge other road users’ paths, speed, and distance.
Driver error or reaction is seen as the highest contributory factor reported in accidents in Great Britain. It has caused about 38,745 accidents, or about 64.6 per cent of the total road traffic incidents reported in 2022.
Impairment or Distraction
Driver or rider impairment or distraction is another prevalent contributory factor reported in 2022 accidents in Great Britain. Driving while impaired by drugs or alcohol, fatigue, defective or uncorrected eyesight, and distraction in and outside the vehicle account for 10,081 or 16.8 per cent of road traffic incidents in the aforementioned year.
Behaviour or Inexperience
Factors linked to behaviour and inexperience of drivers or riders are reported to account for 14,729 road traffic incident cases, or 24.6 per cent of the total incidents in 2022. Among the common behavioural factors reported in accidents are the following but not limited to:
- aggressive driving;
- careless or reckless driving;
- driving too slow for conditions;
- inexperience with driving on the left;
- unfamiliarity with vehicle model; and,
- driving while nervous, uncertain, or panicking.
Vision Affected by External Factors
Vision affected by external factors, such as road layout, blinding headlights, dazzling sun, weather conditions (rain, sleet, snow, or fog), and vehicle blind spot, were also reported to be among the common causes of road traffic incidents in Great Britain. In 2022, about 6,344 or 10.6 per cent of all reported road traffic incidents are attributed to these environmental factors that can affect vision.
Ways to Avoid Road Accidents
Safety should be your number one priority. Hence, exploring ways to avoid road accidents is necessary. To help, here are the actions you can do:
Defensive Driving
Once you’re out on the road, it will be an advantage if you practice defensive driving. It is a style of driving comprising different safe road responses that can minimise risk and avoid accidents.
Here are some of the defensive driving techniques you should practice:
- Develop the right mindset when operating your vehicle;
- Put your seatbelts first;
- Do not drink alcohol or take drugs that will hinder you from driving safely;
- Train for rainy or winter weather conditions; and,
- Know your vehicle and drive it with cautious.
Defensive driving does not happen overnight, but with the right mindset and determination to make it a habit, you’ll see progress in yourself, resulting in a safe and sound journey.
Invest in Safety Upgrades
Investing in safety upgrades like installing aftermarket safety features can help you prevent the severity of a crash. Aftermarket parts are added to the vehicle to make it safer and more secure. Some excellent additions include collision avoidance warnings, blind-spot monitoring, detectors, and backup rear-view cameras.
You can also invest in car modification like window tinting Oldham and reap its benefits. Window tint films can reduce UV, solar heat, and glare from the sun, helping drivers to ride safely even under scorching heat and bright sunlight.
In addition, these window films have shatter-resistant features that help strengthen your glass window by 2 to 3 times and provide you and your passengers an added layer of protection from flying glass shards.
Final Thoughts
Observe and anticipate that accidents can happen anytime. This is to prepare you for a worst-case scenario that can occur on the road. Furthermore, you must employ the best driving practices to reduce your risk of getting involved in an accident.
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