Practice Areas
- Auto, Truck & Motor Vehicle Accidents
- Personal Injury
- Wrongful Death
- Nursing Home Neglect / Abuse
- Product Liability
- Insurance Disputes
- Hurricane Insurance Claim
- Sinkhole Claims
- Commercial Litigation
- Defective Medical Devices
- Asbestos/Mesothelioma
Blog 
Auto, Truck & Motor Vehicle Accidents
- I-4 SINKHOLES MEAN MORE DEFENSIVE DRIVING
- Safety Tips to Avoid an Auto Accident this Holiday Season
- Halloween Safety at Forefront After Clermont Child Struck by SUV
- Thousands of Drivers Killed in Drunk Driving Accidents in 2008
- What Does it Mean to Live in a No Fault Insurance State?
Claims Involving Children
What Causes Car Crashes?
After 30 years, an on-scene crash causation study has finally been conducted which analyzed the factors that contribute to car accidents. The U.S. Congress authorized the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) of the U.S. Department of Transportation to conduct a National Motor Vehicle Crash Causation Survey (NMVCCS). The last on-scene crash causation study had not been conducted since 1979. Since then, driver behavior has substantially changed as there are now more dashboard electronics and portable electronic devices.
The study was designed to help understand the events that lead up to an auto accident, which is important in preventing the crash from happening in the first place. Therefore, the survey focused on factors related to pre-crash events. The nationally representative sample of crashes occurred from 2005 to 2007. A total of 6,950 accidents were investigated during the three year time period, but the report released by the NHTSA only used 5,471 crashes.
Researchers were able to investigate the scene of the crashes, which helped them collect the most accurate data available. They were given access to relatively undisturbed information relating to the events and factors that led up to the accident, the chance to talk with drivers, passengers and witnesses and the ability to reconcile physical evidence with the witnesses’ descriptions.
Some of the key findings of the study are as follows:
• Approximately 36 percent of the vehicles were crossing or turning at intersections just before the accidents.
• Approximately 22 percent of the vehicles ran off the edge of the road.
• Approximately 11 percent of the vehicles did not stay in the proper lane.
• Approximately 12 percent of the vehicles were stopped at the time of the accidents.
• Approximately 9 percent of the drivers lost control prior to the accidents.
Researchers also analyzed the behavior and actions of the drivers and in some instances, assigned critical reasons for the crashes. Based on the crash investigations, researchers found that:
• Approximately 41 percent of the critical reasons had to do with recognition errors, such as inattention, distractions, inadequate surveillance and so on.
• Approximately 34 percent had to do with the driver making decision errors, such as driving aggressively, speeding, etc.
• Approximately 10 percent of the critical errors were associated with performance errors, including overcompensation, improper directional control, etc.
The information collected in the study is supposed to help prevent future crashes from happening. If you have been injured in a car crash in Florida, contact the experienced car accident lawyers at the Law Offices of Lilly, O'Toole & Brown, LLP at (863) 683-1111.
Lilly, O'Toole & Brown, LLP
Lakeland Office: (863) 683-1111
Bartow Office: (863) 533-5525M
Sebring Office: (863) 471-0003
Lake Wales Office: (863) 676-1991
Haines City Office: (863) 422-1282
Wauchula Office: (863) 767-1111
Also providing legal assistance to clients from:
Wauchula, Lake Placid, Avon Park, Plant City, Brandon, and Valrico, Florida.
