What Are the Major Contributing Factors to Traffic Accidents in Georgia?

Georgia has one of the highest traffic accident rates in the country–according to the Georgia Department of Public Health (GDPH), our state was fourth in the nation in traffic fatalities. Leading to serious injuries and high costs for many of the people involved. But what causes all these accidents?

It turns out, just a few contributing factors are responsible for many of them—and cause the majority of accidents on the road. We call these the “Big 4”: the top four reasons people get into accidents in Georgia. If you’ve been in a car crash, a car accident lawyer in Georgia may be able to get you compensation.

The 4 Top Causes of Traffic Accidents in Georgia

The Big 4 accident causes are:

1. Drunk driving. Drunk driving on its own is responsible for nearly 25% of all traffic deaths in the state. It also contributes to countless non-fatal accidents—making it Georgia’s #1 cause of car crashes statewide. And DUI isn’t limited to drinking alone; it can also involve driving under the influence of drugs.  
2. Distracted driving. Most people don’t think of distracted driving as that dangerous—until someone with a cell phone cuts you off and doesn’t even realize it. Distracted driving can reduce reaction time as much as drunk driving does, and leads to a huge number of crashes. Distractions don’t all involve phones: many accident reports cite a driver who was distracted by food, makeup, hands-free phone calls, other passengers or even music.  
3. Driving While Teenage (DWT). This isn’t an official legal term, but we would add it to the lexicon if we could. The reason? Teen drivers ages 16-19 are responsible for more accidents than any other group. In fact, the single biggest predictor of why a driver got into a crash is probably that they were young. Teen drivers are simply not as experienced and don’t always make good decisions behind the wheel. Plus, they’re more likely to speed, drink and drive, or drive distracted.  
4. Driving over the speed limit. Speeding is a factor that actually exacerbates all of the others above. It’s often present in cases that have another cause too, like drunk driving or aggressive teenage driving. On its own, speeding doesn’t necessarily cause accidents, but it does contribute to them—it’s simply much harder to react to a surprise on the road if you’re going too fast. Plus, speeding tends to make the injuries worse in any accident where it’s a factor.  

Other Reasons Car Accidents Happen

The Big 4 don’t explain every traffic accident, just the majority of them. There are plenty of other factors that routinely cause accidents as well.  Some of the most common include:

• Following too closely
• Aggressive lane-changing
• Slippery conditions
• Low visibility conditions
• Driver inattentiveness
• Driver fatigue

Like the Big 4, many of these issues are contributing factors in accidents that have other causes as well. According to the Georgia Department of Transportation (GDOT), 76% of traffic fatalities are caused by unsafe driving behavior.

Have You Been in an Accident?

If you’ve been injured, our attorneys can help. Georgia car accident lawyers John Foy & Associates have over 20 years of experience working with accident victims—and we get results.  Let us give you a FREE consultation. Call us or fill out the form to your right and get your FREE consultation today.