What are the causes of rear-end collisions? Find out why negligent drivers in the rear are usually at fault and how they cause these dangerous crashes.

What Are Common Causes of Rear-End Collisions?

A rear-end collision is a common type of car accident that causes much more serious injuries and deaths than many people may realize. Victims can suffer chronic pain and limitations of movement from shoulder, neck, back, and spinal injuries or devastating changes to their mobility, vision, hearing, reasoning, memory, and emotions if they suffer a traumatic brain injury. Victims may be entitled to compensation from the negligent driver to pay for their expensive medical treatments, replace lost wages while they are recovering from their injuries, and compensate them for the pain and suffering they experienced.

What Are Common Causes of Rear-End Collisions?

Drivers have a duty to maintain a safe distance behind the vehicle in front of them so that they can slow down or stop quickly if the driver in front must do so suddenly. Because of this, the driver in the rear is almost always found at fault in a rear-end collision. Common reasons that these accidents occur include:

  • Speeding. When drivers are speeding, they may be driving closer to the vehicle in front of them and not have sufficient time to stop or slow down due to their excessive speed.
  • Distracted driving. A driver may not notice when the driver in the front needs to slow down suddenly or stop due to traffic conditions when his eyes and mind are on an activity like eating and drinking, talking on a cellphone, or texting. The likely consequence is that he has insufficient time to react and causes a rear-end collision.
  • Intoxication. When a driver is intoxicated due to drug or alcohol use, his reaction times and reasoning abilities are impaired. In addition, he may not be able to accurately perceive distances between his vehicle and others, which is another reason that he could cause a rear-end collision.
  • Tailgating. Tailgating is a form of dangerous aggressive driving that can make it impossible for the aggressive driver in the rear to prevent a rear-end crash.
  • Weather conditions. When weather conditions, like ice, snow, rain, and fog, result in reduced visibility and slippery roads, motorists who do not slow down and drive for weather conditions can cause a rear-end collision.

In limited circumstances, the driver in the front could be the cause of a rear-end collision. He could be the negligent party if he does any of the following:

  • Reverses suddenly
  • Stops suddenly to make a turn but then fails to execute the turn
  • Fails to repair brake lights that do not work
  • Fails to pull over when he has a flat tire or other serious mechanical malfunction and does not put on his hazard lights

Did you or a loved one suffer injuries in a rear-end collision or other car accident. Let our experienced car accident attorneys take over the burden of building your case against the negligent driver and negotiating your settlement. To learn more, call our office to schedule your free consultation.

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