You can probably think of situations or actions that might cause car accidents. For instance, if someone consumes alcohol, and they’re over the legal limit, the chances that they will cause a crash statistically go up. If you try to talk on your cell phone while driving, that also increases the chances you’ll hit another vehicle or pedestrian.
The Tampa area saw 28,354 car wrecks in 2022, and most major cities saw similar numbers. However, you can experience a car wreck even in rural areas without many people around. You must always exercise caution while driving, even in what seems like ideal traffic and weather conditions.
In this article, we will talk about some surprising factors that sometimes come into play with car accidents.
Prescription Medication
Earlier, we mentioned alcohol and how it often causes car wrecks if you drink too much before driving. You will also be more likely to cause a wreck if you use various other substances, like marijuana or illegal narcotics.
You can also cause a car accident if you ingest some legal drugs that a doctor prescribed you, though. It is not something some drivers might consider, but it can happen sometimes.
Maybe your doctor starts you on a new drug. Perhaps it’s a high blood pressure medication or something similar. You might look at the bottle it comes in and see a long list of possible side effects. Do you take them seriously enough, though?
If your doctor prescribes a new medication, you should not drive after taking it until you know how it affects you. However, not every driver follows such precautions.
If you are on a new drug regimen, give it a few days and figure out how your body handles it. Have someone else drive you if you have any doubts and need to go somewhere.
The Sun
If you go out for a drive in the rain, you should exercise the proper precautions. The same applies to snow, fog, hail, sleet, etc.
What about if you’ve got a beautiful sunny day, though? It seems like that would never cause a car accident, but that can happen as well.
If you drive on a sunny day, and you position your car so that it is facing the sun, it might blind you. If you are on the highway, and you’re driving toward the sun, maybe its glare hits you in the face. Before you can pull down the sun visor above the driver’s seat or reach for some sunglasses, you might hit a car in front of you that slows down or stops suddenly.
If you drive on sunny days, try to have sunglasses in the car with you and put them on before starting the engine. If you don’t have sunglasses, then at least pull down the sun visor so that you can shade your eyes appropriately.
Music Playing in the Car
Many people like to play music in the car, especially if they’re on their way to or from work. If you’re on a longer trip, you may have a favorite playlist that you like to put on.
You can enjoy your music, but if you turn up your favorite song and start getting too into it, that can cause a crash as well. Some people let music affect them. They may start drumming along with the beat on the steering wheel or singing along.
You may start to speed if it’s a fast-paced song. That kind of behavior can endanger you and other drivers more than you may realize. If you’re going to listen to your music, that’s fine, but don’t let your enjoyment cause an accident.
A Single Drink Containing Alcohol
You may also drink alcohol and then drive, but perhaps you’re not over the legal limit. If you drink one beer, then that probably won’t intoxicate you, or not very much. Still, you need to think about some other factors that might enter the equation.
What if you’re a smaller person? If you weigh 90 pounds, then drinking one beer will do more to you than it would to an individual twice your weight.
Perhaps you’re a person who hardly ever consumes alcohol. If you have no tolerance, or very little, then a single beer might impact you more than it would a regular drinker.
You might also drink a single mixed drink and feel like you can drive with no issues. Mixed drinks don’t always have the same alcohol content, though.
Something like a Long Island iced tea may have more alcohol than two or even three beers, especially if the bartender makes it extra strong. You need to think about all of this before you drive. You can’t use the “one drink and I’m still under the legal limit” rule in all instances.
Driving Direction Malfunctions
You may also decide that you’ll use your car’s navigation system if you have a newer or higher-end vehicle and you don’t know how to get where you’re going. You may also use Google Maps or another app on your smartphone if your car does not have navigation functionality.
Getting driving directions can certainly help if you don’t know your destination. You need to know, though, that sometimes driving directions and apps can malfunction. It doesn’t happen often these days with such sophisticated apps and websites, but it’s still possible.
Every once in a while, you still hear about a driver who drove off an unfinished bridge or even off a cliff because they blindly followed an app’s directions. That’s why, if you’re going to use an app or your car’s navigation system, you still need to watch the road. If it’s obvious there’s an obstacle in the way or some other dangerous condition, you must use your common sense and discard what the app or navigation system tells you.
These factors don’t often make a huge difference in car crashes, but they can occasionally.