Nearly 4,000 Colorado residents lose their lives in fatal car accidents every year. Thousands more suffer severe and debilitating injuries while on the road. With so many people and their loved ones hurt in these terrible incidents, it is crucial to recognize the top causes of Colorado car accidents.
5. Fail to Yield
Roughly 1 in 20 auto accidents in Colorado are caused by drivers failing to yield to traffic. This is often the result of a negligent unprotected turn or failure to observe cross traffic at a stop sign.
4. Lane Violation
Unsafe passing makes up about 1 in 10 auto accidents. One-lane mountain roads are especially susceptible to this kind of violation. Drivers desperate to pass move into the other lane but fail to estimate the speed of the car coming toward them. Lane violation crashes are more likely to result in fatal head-on collisions.
3. DUI
Driving under the influence of drugs or alcohol accounts for 1 in 8 Colorado car accidents. Despite decades of nationwide DUI-awareness campaigns, roughly 4,100 drunk drivers are pulled over every night.
2. Speeding
Nearly 1 in 5 Colorado car accidents are the result of unsafe speeding. Moreover, speeding is one of the most common causes of fatal car accidents. Higher speed creates a greater force upon impact, which leads to devastation for the car and the driver.
1. Distracted Driving
Inattentive driving is the number one cause of Colorado car accidents, nearly tying with speeding at a rate of about 1 in 5 accidents. That doesn’t necessarily mean cellphone use. It also includes eating while driving and adjusting the radio. Studies suggest that the most common cause of distracted driving is daydreaming, which accounts for more than 60% of all distracted driving accidents.
If you or someone you love suffered serious injuries in an auto accident, you might be entitled to rightful compensation. If you’d like an experienced Grand Junction auto injury attorney from the Law Offices of Chadwick McGrady to evaluate your case, please call 970-644-5599 or send us an email.
