Out of all the various types of car accidents that exist, rear-end collisions are among the most common. As the name suggests, a rear-end collision is when a car collides with the rear end of the vehicle in front of them. Needless to say, it is an unexpected and unwelcome event for the person whose vehicle gets hit. They are usually unprepared when it happens, meaning that there is little that they can do to brace themselves for the impact. They will have to rely on the safety system of their vehicle to protect them.
The only good thing about a rear-end collision is that the driver who caused the accident will nearly always be at fault. Normally, the victim of a car accident has to try and prove that the other driver was responsible, but in a rear-end collision, that responsibility is self-evident. That means that injury trial lawyers will be able to get the victims of a rear-end collision the compensation they need to cover any expenses caused by the accident. So be sure to contact an attorney if you have been in a car accident that was caused by a rear-end collision.
The Dangers of Rear-End Collisions
While rear-end collisions are not quite as dangerous as other types of vehicular accidents such as head-on collisions or T-bone collisions, they can still cause serious injuries to the driver and passengers. The most common kind of injury is whiplash, which is when a person’s neck whips violently back and forth as a result of a collision. This can cause pain in the neck and the middle of the spine. In some cases, the effects of whiplash are instantaneous, but other times the symptoms can take some time to manifest.
Concussions can also be caused by rear-end collisions since the violent back and forth movement of the head and neck can cause the brain to impact the inner surface of the skull. Concussions can cause a lot of cognitive problems such as memory loss, dizziness, headaches, nausea, and more. Unless the collision occurs at extremely high speeds, the results of a rear-end collision are rarely fatal, but it still poses a significant health risk to the occupants of all the vehicles involved in the crash.
The Facts Of Rear-End Collisions
According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), rear-end collisions are responsible for 29% of all motor vehicle accidents. 81% of those accidents were caused when the lead vehicle was at a complete standstill, while the rest were caused when the lead vehicle was driving slowly. Rear-end collisions are caused when the following driver is too close to the car ahead of them, and nearly half of all of those accidents happen because the driver was distracted and not paying attention. In fact, nearly 90% of rear-end collisions are caused by distracted drivers.
Rear-end collisions tend to occur on dry, straight, level roads during the daytime. Since those are relatively safe conditions, drivers are more likely to get distracted than they would in more hazardous conditions where they have to pay attention. Basically, rear-end collisions are caused by drivers following too closely and not paying attention to the road ahead of them. If drivers eliminate those kinds of behaviours, then the number of rear-end collisions would almost certainly go down.
Contact an Attorney If You Were in a Rear-End Collision
Since the following driver is nearly always the one held responsible for a rear-end collision, you have a good chance of receiving the compensation that you need if you were the victim of such an accident. However, you will need the help of an experienced car accident attorney to help you. So be sure to contact one as soon as possible after you have been in a rear-end collision.
