Sounds silly, right? After all, humans can be accident-prone, but surely not a hunk of metal in the form of an automobile? There are all sorts of reasons that auto collisions occur, with the large majority of those being traceable to some sort of driver error. Drivers get fatigued, distracted, reckless or negligent. They drive in situations they are not equipped to handle or drive vehicles they are not particularly trained to drive. They drive after ingesting drugs or alcohol or get behind the wheel fully aware their vision is impaired enough to be a hazard. Driver distraction can come in many forms in our multi-tasking society. Cell phone use, texting while driving, applying makeup, reading a map, eating while driving, fiddling with the radio station or GPS device, turning around to scold the children in the back seat, talking to passengers or simply daydreaming about anything other than driving contribute to driver distraction.
High-Performance Cars
All of these factors contribute to the fifteen million car crashes that occur each and every year, resulting in over forty thousand fatalities as literally millions of accident-related injuries. Many of these car crashes result in life-altering consequences for those involved and the government spends untold amounts of money in their attempt to make drivers aware of risky behaviors they may be engaging in. A certain portion of auto crashes can be directly linked to the specific make and model of the car being driven. Studies prove that particular models are simply much more likely to be involved in a car collision. Cars with high-performance motors are not at risk simply because they can accelerate quickly, reaching high rates of speed, rather because of the driver behind the wheel who runs the risk of losing control and crashing. This fact likely is a primary factor of higher insurance premiums for sporty cars with powerful motors. Even so, a situation such as this still hinges on the driver’s ability rather than the car’s performance.
Which Cars are More Likely To Be Involved in a Collision?
There are some cars on the road today which are simply less safe to drive—proven by their track record of collisions. Although Toyota is regularly considered one of the safest, most reliable brands on the road today, one of their cars, the Scion, actually tops the list of the cars most likely to be involved in a car crash. Others who are more frequently engaged in car crashes than normal include the Honda Civic, Mitsubishi’s Galant, Subaru’s Impreza, Hyundai’s Tiburon and Chevrolet’s Cobalt. Now remember that these cars are not inherently unsafe simply because they top the list of collision incidence.
More likely the combination of relatively high-performance vehicles in the hands of younger, more inexperienced drivers creates a higher risk of collision. While these are the cars of today that top the list, the accident-prone cars of the past include the Ford Mustang, Dodge Challenger and Chevy Camaro. Although Ford’s Mustang Shelby and the Chevy Corvette do make the list of the top 150 cars most likely to be in an accident they remain at the bottom—probably because younger drivers are unable to afford them. As a whole, older drivers tend to exhibit better judgment when behind the wheel of a powerful sports car.
The Effect of Your Car’s Color on Your Likelihood of Having an Accident
An Australian survey found that black vehicles are statistically more likely to be involved in a car accident than white vehicles, probably due to the ability of humans to see some colors better than others. Surprisingly, silver cars—the most prevalent color on the roadways—come in right behind black vehicles for high crash rates and difficult in being seen. Hybrid car drivers are about 25% less likely to be involved in an accident; whether that is because of the extra weight of the hybrid battery or because hybrid drivers are simply more cautious is unknown. Those who have been injured in a car collision should contact the most qualified personal injury attorney available as soon as possible following the accident. Your claim will be evaluated and your attorney can advise you on whether you should pursue a claim.