When a person is driving down New Jersey roads and they see an automobile accident, it's understandable that they are interested in knowing what it caused the accident. There are a lot of factors that come into play, including human error and distracted driving.
What is behind many car accidents?
Bad driving habits may explain dump truck crash increase
Many commercial truckers in New Jersey and across the U.S. engage in bad driving habits like speeding, distracted driving and operating while fatigued. The pressure of deadlines and the lure of by-the-load incentives play their part as well. While truck accident rates went down in the early 2000s as a result of improved technology and effective driver safety campaigns, those rates are coming back up as preventative efforts stall.
Teen drivers more dangerous when passengers are teens
Research prepared by the AAA Foundation for Traffic Safety highlights the importance of adult supervision while teens develop their driving skills. Parents in New Jersey should aim to accompany their teen drivers for at least 100 hours behind the wheel before allowing them to drive with only teen friends. The foundation measured substantial increases in traffic fatalities when teens drove without anyone age 35 or older in their vehicles.
The danger of drowsy driving
Half of all adults in New Jersey and the rest of the U.S. admit to driving drowsy, according to the American Sleep Foundation. About 20 percent even admit to falling asleep behind the wheel. Drowsy driving is a serious issue; a study from the AAA Foundation for Traffic Safety estimates that there are 328,000 drowsy driving crashes every year, resulting in 109,000 injuries and about 6,400 deaths.
