What are the most common lethal mistakes made by drivers?

When you’re driving on North Carolina roads, you expect to have a relatively stress-free experience. Unfortunately, while you can control what you do behind the wheel, you can’t always anticipate that all other drivers will take the same care. There are certain lethal mistakes drivers make behind the wheel that can put everyone in danger.

Driving under the influence

One of the worst problems on the road that can lead to serious motor vehicle accidents is driving under the influence. People may believe they are safe enough to operate their car after one or two drinks or after taking drugs, but being under the influence hinders judgment, reaction time and so much more. Even if a person’s blood alcohol concentration or BAC is below the legal limit of .08, it can lead to a serious accident.

Aggressive driving

Aggressive driving is a bad habit of many drivers. When someone becomes aggravated behind the wheel, they can act rashly, causing terrible accidents that result in significant property damage and serious injuries or even death.

Not using a seatbelt

One of the most fatal mistakes drivers make is to not use a seatbelt. Seatbelts can save lives. If a person fails to use that protective measure in a vehicle and gets into an accident, they can be thrown from the car and suffer fatal injuries.

Running red lights

Running red lights can result in motor vehicle accidents that involve significant fatalities. According to the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety, around 200,000 people suffer injuries and 800 people die each year in accidents that involve drivers who run red lights.

Distracted driving

Distracted driving has become a huge problem on roads throughout the country. According to a study, around 80% of all motor vehicle accidents now occur due to a driver being distracted. Distractions can occur from anything from text messaging to talking on the phone to having a conversation with a passenger to simply daydreaming while driving.