The 10 Most Dangerous Mistakes Behind The Wheel

1. Swerve

The number one fatal mistake committed by drivers is perhaps the simplest: Dropping out of the own lane to get off the road or go to the adjacent lane. According to ANSV, 15,574 people died during 2007 in accidents where the origin was a driver who changed lanes.

2. Driving with sleep

“Driving tired is as dangerous as drunk or drugged,” said Mark V. Rosenker, head of the National Road Safety Council in 2003 after a fatal crash caused by a college student who had not slept for 18 hours before he drove a car full of his companions at 5 am According to ANSV, in 2007 1,404 people were killed because of fatigued drivers. Moreover, most of all fatalities occurred in the hours during normal hours of rest (3 a.m. to 6 a.m.).

3. Erratic or careless handling

In its milder versions, we talk about weaving or go hit the lead car, in serious versions, some manage to reach the opposite side of the highway, exceeding the speed limit by 20 mph (32.19 km / h) lead more than 80 mph (128.75 kph) and even worse. The reckless driving can result in fines, imprisonment and death. Erratic and reckless drivers caused over 1,850 deaths in 2007.

4. Overcorrection

You get scared when the wheels of your SUV touches the side of the highway and your turn the wheel quickly to the opposite direction to regain the road. This is a classic example of overcorrection and is a particularly dangerous maneuver when you drive an SUV at high speeds on the highway. Consider it a potential turnaround. More than 4 percent of traffic fatalities occur due to such maneuvers.

5. Drinking and driving

Every 40 minutes someone dies in an accident caused by drunk (in all states, an 0.08 percent blood alcohol is illegal, but few know that you can raise objections when the alcohol has affected you, even if you are below the limit legal). Young drivers are particularly prone to drinking and driving: the band from 21 to 34 years is responsible for half of fatal accidents induced by alcohol. Predictably, it’s more common to find a drunk driver during evenings and weekends. According to ANSV, 60 per cent of drivers killed at night in 2007 were legally intoxicated. Alcohol is also a determining factor in half of the pedestrian fatalities. In such cases, both drivers and pedestrians can be the culprits.

6. Errors when letting the other pass

For drivers over 70 years, giving the wrong way when entering a highway is the main cause of accidents. In a recent study by the Institute for Traffic Safety Insurers, drivers over 80 do not see the vehicle coming when they should let it pass. Drivers between 70 and 79, however, see it but miscalculated the time required for the maneuver. This type of error was the fifth leading cause of fatal crashes in 2007.

7. Speeding

Running, exceed speed limits or simply going too fast for road conditions are the second leading cause of fatal crashes, according to ANSV. From 55 mph you are in danger zone: 30 percent of the fatalities occur in that speed on. The worst-case scenarios involve speeding without seatbelts or helmets on motorcycles. The fatality rates for motorcyclists are shockingly high: In 2007, in 36 per cent of deaths on two wheels was speeding. Of this group, 41 percent of drivers and more than half of the attendants were not wearing helmets (only in 20 states and the District of Columbia, the helmet is mandatory).

8. Cross red lights

According to the Research Council of Insurers, a nonprofit agency, a substantial 75 percent of traffic accidents occur in cities. The most common cause? Step the accelerator when the light is red. Of the myriad types of shocks, front and side are the most dangerous. The ANSV statistics show that of the 41,059 traffic fatalities in 2007, 54 percent occurred in frontal collisions. When cutting very fair cross traffic lights, the front of your car or another car can get hit. Whatever happens, is a recipe for a fatal accident.

9. Not wearing seat belts

Despite the great increase in safety belt use during the last decade -not to mention it isobligatory – 33 percent of those who died in crashes had not been adjusted his belt. Without this prevention, risk drivers and passengers are ejected out of the car. The 76 percent of the ejections ends in death.

10. Driving distracted

Eating, talking on the phone, writing text messages and fondle the car radio are distracting and caused 4704 deaths in 2007. From these bad habits, talking on the phone is becoming common. It is estimated that at any given time, one million Americans driving and talking on the phone at once. This behavior is four times the risk of accidents. There was a specific case that prompted the investigation of the ANSV: on the highway, an SUV swerved to the left, jumped the dividing wall, overturned and hit a car coming in the opposite direction. The driver of the SUV had been resisting strong crosswinds at the same time talking on the phone. Interestingly, of using a handsfree device you may not avoid the accident. “You can believe that a hands-free phone will distract you less,” says Anne McCartt, author of a study published in the British Journal of Medicine – but found that any type of phone increases the risk. “