The Safe Driver

What are the top causes of car accident head injuries?

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Car accidents are still the leading cause of head injuries globally, especially in teenage drivers. While it’s true that there has been a decline in the number of car accidents in countries and states in the US with strict driving laws, it still cannot be denied that it continues to be the main cause of traumatic brain injury. There are different causes of car accidents so you need to be very careful when driving. You may trust your skills, but other drivers could not be trusted to always follow the rules.

Below are the top causes of car accidents that can lead to head injuries:

1. Distracted driving. This may come as a surprise, but there are more cases of car accidents due to distracted driving. There are times when you think you can do something while you’re driving such as talking on your phone, sending a text message, drinking, or eating. These make you lose focus on what you’re doing, which is driving. You may think you have a handle on it, but with just the blink of an eye, you could miss that red light and hit another car.If you need to do something important such as answer a call, pull over to the side of the road and do so. The three seconds that your eyes are not on the road endangers everybody travelling on the same road as you.If you are a victim of distracted driving and have chronic headaches after a car accident, you need to have yourself checked again and get yourself a good lawyer.
   
2. Speeding. This is the second most common cause of vehicular accidents. It is easy to step on the gas pedal and speed your way through the highway. Many motorists are speeding every single day. When you’re late for an appointment, you simply ignore the rules just so you can make it on time. However, what many do not realize is that the faster the vehicle moves, the less control the driver has. It takes longer to make the vehicle slow down and there is less time to react. This results in a collision, which could have a deadly outcome.No matter how late you are for an appointment, always make sure that youabide by the speed limit imposed by the government in order to avoid accidents.
   
3. Drunk driving. Alcohol makes you lose focus, which makes you unable to function properly. When you drive while under the influence of alcohol, you will not be able to respond properly to situations, not to mention that your response time also takes longer. Accidents caused by drunk driving can be easily prevented by not drinking and driving at all.If you are planning to drink, make sure you’re not driving after or have a designated driver. If you can’t find one, do not drink at all.
4. Reckless driving. Motorists disregard road safety when faced with certain situations. Some give in to road rage, some ignore road signs, especially when they’re in a hurry. They tailgate and run the red light. These motorists are not concerned about the safety of others and often get into accidents. Teenage drivers are often involved in reckless driving because they, most likely, want to impress their friends and want to look cool.When you’re driving, make sure that you look both ways before proceeding because you can never be too sure that everybody is going to follow the rules.
5. Weather. Heavy rain is one of the most common causes of car accidents worldwide, especially in North America. When the road is wet, it gets more slippery and a driver can easily lose control of the car. Accidents like this happen more often to cars that are not well maintained. Poor car maintenance means the tires could be old and not have a good grip any longer. Some motorists also panic easily during bad weather conditions, which makes them lose control of the car as well.When driving in bad weather conditions, be alert and do not drive too fast in order to avoid accidents.

There are different types of brain injuries caused by vehicular accidents. Below are the most common cases:

1. Hematoma. Hematoma is a type of brain injury wherein there is a blood clot outside of your blood vessels. If this occurs in the brain, it could lead to pressure building up, which will make you lose consciousness and, possibly, incur brain damage.
   
2. Concussion. When hit your head and your brain hits the hard walls of the skull, you get a concussion. A slight concussion may result in temporary loss of function, but a severe one could also lead to brain damage.
   
3. Hemorrhage. Car accidents can cause hemorrhage. This means that there is bleeding within the brain tissue or around the brain. If there is too much bleeding, it can build pressure and cause permanent brain damage. Some patients recover fully, but there are others that don’t. They have complications such as a stroke and a loss of brain function.
   
4. Fractured skull. The human skull is not so easy to break. It is strong because of the absence of bone marrow. However, when the skull is fractured during a car accident, the brain may get damaged.
   
5. Diffuse axonal. There is no bleeding when a patient has diffuse axonal injury. There is, however, damage to the brain cells, resulting in loss of function. Because this injury is not visible, it is often overlooked. It is one of the most dangerous types of injuries.
   

Here are the symptoms of brain injury that you need to look out for:

• Headache
• Vomiting
• Difficulty in thinking
• Cannot concentrate
• Light sensitivity
• Sound sensitivity
• Confusion
• Seizures
• Feeling of numbness in your extremities
• Dilated pupils
  

Conclusion

If you are involved in a car accident, you need to know what to do after. Even if you think it was only a minor accident, you can never be too sure until you have had a doctor check your condition. Head injuries such as brain trauma could have been sustained without you realizing it. Make sure you get the complete information of the other motorist before you part ways. Immediately go to a doctor and have a thorough check up. Blunt force trauma is serious and should not be taken lightly.