Experts claim that the leading causes of car accidents are driver distractions. Dangerous distractions that can lead to an accident include cell phones and other devices that drivers use while driving. Cell phones, laptops, electric razors, etc. causes drivers to take their eyes off the road for seconds at a time with the potential to cause a serious, if not fatal, accident. In response to this, some states in the US have banned the use of handheld cell phones while people are driving. The alternative is to use a hands-free headset that is lightweight and comfortable, and allows the driver to carry on a conversation without distraction.
Another dangerous distraction is when a driver has been drinking and then tries to drive. The effects of alcohol can wreak havoc in the future. Anyone with a blood alcohol level of .01 is considered unfit to drive. The effects of drunk driving include drowsiness, loss of concentration, and the inability to judge distances and reaction times.
The rubber neck and tailgating are other potentially dangerous habits that many practice while driving. The rubber neck occurs when drivers slow down to see another accident on the road or anything that seems unusual on the road. When a driver slows down a car too fast, the driver of the car behind often does not have enough time to slow down or stop and collides with the rear of the leading vehicle. Rear-end collisions can cause serious injury. The same is true for tailgating in the sense that a driver following a car too closely may not have enough distance to stop suddenly, and the possibility of a serious accident is eminent.
The behavior of a driver causes many accidents; still others are caused by mechanical failures or road conditions. There are technical solutions that are available to help with these problems and have contributed to a decrease in death rates caused by motor vehicle accidents. They include proximity monitors that allow the driver to know how close he is to the vehicle ahead; sobriety detectors, which measure the amount of alcohol a driver has consumed, and drift monitors that alert the driver when their car veers too far to one side of the road or the other.
