One of the most deadly types of car accidents is the intersection crash. Also known as a T-bone accident, there are multiple factors that contribute to the severity of such crashes, including the speed and impact angle at which intersection accidents typically take place. It’s often the kind of accident in which multiple injuries present, and that’s if all parties involved are inside vehicles, benefitting from the numerous safety features they have. Bicycles typically fare very badly in intersection accidents.

Even though anyone who has gotten a driver’s license should know this, intersections should always be approached with caution and alertness, even for drivers entering on a green light. However, the rise of distracted driving has made them even deadlier. Determining the cause of an intersection accident is often an essential part of proving liability after a Bellingham car accident. Factors such as whether there was a traffic camera at the intersection and whether the vehicles involved were equipped with special “black boxes” can help your car accident attorney determine the cause of an intersection crash so you can get the compensation you deserve.

Most Common Causes of Intersection Crashes

Think about any time you’ve been stopped at an intersection and witnessed the impatient motorist trying to “make” the light. Typically, this is considered aggressive driving, and it is estimated that nearly two-thirds of all traffic fatalities are caused by aggressive driving. The following are reported to be the most common aggressive driving maneuvers witnessed by United States drivers, and they often play a role in intersection and T-bone accidents:

  • Following too closely (we can be guilty of this even if we’re not aggressive, but distracted)
  • Improper or erratic lane changing
  • Prohibited and dangerous passing and merging
  • Sudden and erratic speed changes
  • Failure to yield right of way
  • Failure to obey traffic control devices and signs
  • Driving too fast and/or racing
  • Making improper turns

Speeding is the leading cause of fatalities as related to aggressive driving crashes. This is because the higher the speed of the aggressive vehicle in relation to your vehicle, the greater the transfer of force from the speeding vehicle to your vehicle, and the greater the transfer of force, the greater the chance you will sustain severe full-body impact injuries as your muscles and tendons absorb the impact of the crash. This is one of the main reasons why intersection accidents are so dangerous, because often a driver will be accelerating in order to avoid a red light, and he will either enter the intersection at an accelerated rate of speed or attempt to slam on the brakes, causing an accident behind him.

For more on how evidence can determine causation in intersection accidents, visit this link.

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