It’s Not Always the Driver’s Fault… How the Road Contributes to Car Accidents
**A contributed post as written for The Safe Driver.
Cars are becoming safer with every passing year. The humble automatic vehicle, in comparison to a stick shift, means that we can drive smoother, and not worry about the mechanics of the vehicle. But, are there problems on our roads that cause car accidents as opposed to the car? It can always be argued that the driver is at fault, but there are issues on our roads that need looking at, and here is a couple.
Congestion
While congestion causes a knock-on effect for drivers, it is a major problem because of the lack of transport infrastructure. Congestion means that we all drive a little bit more selfishly, and refuse to let people into our lane. The other knock-on effect it can cause for drivers is that we don’t pay as much attention, because of the stop-start traffic. A long day in work, or driving tired, means that we don’t operate with enough due care and attention when it comes to changing lanes. The amount of congestion on our roads means that it’s every car for themselves a lot of the time, which can be a nightmare come rush hour. Failing to check your blind spot before changing lanes causes so many car pile-ups, but recovering after a crash, in a physical and emotional sense, can take a long time. While there are many efforts being made to tackle congestion, by suggesting more people ride bikes or use public transport, for a lot of people, a car is the only option. And as we drive bumper to bumper in highly congested roads, thinking it will get us somewhere quicker, the fact is that it won’t, and you will more than likely hit the car in front of you.
Obstruction
Country lanes are one of the main culprits for this, either a bush or a tree branch is covering a sign that we cannot see, or on a busy road, there is something blocking your view from one direction, so you assume that it’s okay. Because we are constantly in a rush to get somewhere, we don’t check thoroughly enough, either around a blind corner or if there is something slightly obstructing our view at a junction. We make the mistake that when we know the roads, we can navigate it without as much thought as when driving on a new road. This is a big mistake. Obstructions come in many forms, and even if you know the road, you can’t assume that what is around the corner is exactly the same as it was the previous day. Roadworks are one of those things that crop up overnight, and can result in a close call if you are lackadaisical in your driving.
While it’s not sensible to blame everyone else for our bad driving, or the road, there can be times when poor signposting or blind corners can cause huge problems for us on the roads. However, the roads are becoming more congested, and this means we need to drive with more due care and attention, but it seems that more drivers are willing to risk the lives of everybody else on the road, so they can get somewhere on time.