The warm and sunny weather during summer is perfect for long drives out of town. Unfortunately, a lot of vehicle accidents happen during this season. The number of car accidents in Washington is baffling. Listed below are five common causes of summer vehicle accidents.
Drunk driving
This is a common cause of road accidents during summer. A lot of gatherings are held during this period from late-night parties to barbecues. This translates to a lot more people engaging in careless drinking and getting behind the wheel. Many people are not responsible enough to call a taxi when they are too drunk to drive. Drunk driving causes horrific road accidents, which can be fatal.
Inexperienced drivers
A great number of teens, and even inexperienced adults, take to the road during summer. These people lack driving experience and almost always ignore road safety rules and signs. Additionally, inexperienced drivers have difficulty navigating around potholes, parallel parking and negotiating sharp corners and bends.
Construction
Summer is an ideal time for construction projects. However, such work may cause serious road accidents. A lot of road construction takes place during the summer.
Although plenty of road signs are put in places where construction is taking place, some drivers choose to ignore them. For instance, a careless driving ignoring a speed limit sign may crash into construction equipment.
Vehicle parts malfunction
The summer season is hot. These high temperatures affect not only humans and animals, but also your vehicles. Issues such as engine overheating may cause serious accidents. Engines naturally produce a lot of heat when the car is in use. The high temperatures during summer may make the engine overheat.
Too much heat also causes tire damage, which may result in road accidents. It’s important to check your tires before going for a drive. You don’t want your tires bursting in the middle of a busy highway.
Cyclist, pedestrians and riders
During the summer, everyone spends time outdoors. This leads to congestion on the roads. Motorists have to share the road with cyclists, pedestrians and riders. Cases of motorists knocking down pedestrians and cyclists are common.
Collisions on the road are unfortunate. Some of the causes of car accidents can be avoided only if you pay extra attention while on the road.