There are around 700 fatal car crashes every year in Mississippi. This is not counting all the other collisions that don’t cause fatalities, so what is causing such a high rate of incidents in the state? Well, the truth is there are lots of reasons behind vehicle crashes. From drunk drivers to wayward pedestrians, the risk factors are almost too many to count. However, the information below covers the most common causes of car accidents in Mississippi to explore why this problem keeps on growing.
Pedestrians
A big percentage of collision incidents directly involve pedestrians. This means anyone not in a vehicle on the main road can still cause a collision, despite them not being behind the wheel of a car, truck, or motorcycle. When a pedestrian is involved, a crash typically happens for three main reasons:
- Jaywalking
- Slips and falls
- Not paying attention or being distracted
Jaywalking
This is defined as a person crossing a busy street without using a designated crossing point and is taken very seriously. Why? Because it can cause accidents on the road and put lives at risk!
Slips and Falls
Slips and falls are often unavoidable. However, if they happen next to a main road or freeway, there is a big risk of a car becoming involved and a vehicle incident taking place.
Not Paying Attention
How many pedestrians do you see every day walking around on their phones? When you aren’t looking where you’re going, or observing the environment around you, there is a big scope here for causing an incident through purely being distracted.
Drunk Drivers
While drunk pedestrians may be a problem for cars driving about, inebriated drivers are even more of a menace on the roads. Drunk driving accidents are shockingly common with 26% of all fatalities assigned for this reason in Mississippi. There are clear rules about drinking alcohol and then getting behind the wheel of a vehicle for good reason. It is because people can’t think, operate, or control a car (or anything else) if their body is fueled by booze. It completely dampens the ability to control response times and decision-making, and this is a big part of driving a vehicle safely.
Using a Phone
Being distracted while driving happens to everyone, right? We’ve all been driving along and zoned out for a few seconds or looked into the backseat to tell the kids to be quiet. Yet, not everyone uses their cell phone while driving and it is because it is all too distracting and causes hundreds of crashes every year. Texting, scrolling through socials, and even changing a song can all cause a lapse in concentration, and that’s all it takes to cause a collision. The law is clear on phone usage while driving, and there are plenty of inventions that help hands-free connectivity.
Potholes and Bad Roads
All the factors that lead to a road incident will be considered carefully, and sometimes it manifests that the condition or state of repair of the road is to blame. This might be because of untended potholes or other damage to the infrastructure. Potholes can cause all sorts of damage to vehicles, especially if people are speeding as well.
Speeding
Speeding has to be mentioned because it is a global problem that will never go away. When someone drives over the speed limit, they are putting everyone else in their way and it is likely to cause an accident because it is harder to stop, pay attention, and operate a vehicle at high speed.
Poor Weather Conditions
Sometimes, circumstances outside of our control cause an accident instead. Poor weather conditions are still one of the leading factors behind a lot of road collisions, but there are ways to intercept this issue. If there is particularly dangerous weather out there, such as a storm or heavy ice and snow, it is important to only drive if it is absolutely necessary, for instance, in an emergency. Other than that, try to avoid driving until the weather has passed or make sure your vehicle is equipped to deal with what’s out there. Be careful during storms because of fallen debris and low visibility, for example. Take heed that when snow falls, there will be hidden ice patches and you are likely to need winter tires at the very least to make the journey manageable.
Failure to Yield
Out of all the rules on the road, breaking this one can have significantly devastating consequences. Failing to stop when someone else has the right of way is confusing for other road users, and is likely to lead to a direct collision, whether that is with another vehicle, cyclists, or a pedestrian. Always stop at a STOP sign, it is one of the easiest ways to keep yourself and other road users safe.
Illegal Passing
There are a fair few circumstances where passing a car in front is considered illegal. Firstly, if you decide to overtake at a railroad or a highway intersection, there is a really high risk that you could cause an accident. Even if you don’t cause an accident, you will definitely get a fine or a ticket. Other illegal passes are things like driving around a vehicle at the top of a hill or trying to get past someone when there is a corner approaching. If you cause a crash in this way it is likely to be a head-on collision, which is incredibly dangerous.
The most common causes of car accidents are drunk drivers and mobile phone distractions. These are both big reasons behind the increase in collisions in Mississippi and sadly, this number doesn’t appear to be changing. These are both human error-based, so it is important to mention poor weather playing a significant role as well. Whatever the case, finding representation after a road collision is a good way to find peace in the aftermath and it is worth pursuing.
We have four main offices:
- Tupelo office: 2005 West Main St. Tupelo, MS 38801
- Oxford office: 406 Galleria Drive, Suite 7, Oxford, MS 38655
- Jackson office: 5548 I-55 Suite A, Jackson, MS 39211
- Memphis office: 5100 Poplar Ave, Suite 2700, Memphis, TN 38137
Contact now for a free consultation on (883) 626-2587.
