Car Accidents and Damage Claims - What You Need To Know

Immediately after being in a car accident, you should file an insurance claim. This can be done easily by either contacting your insurance provider or the insurance provider of the person who is responsible for the accident. The filed insurance claim is your way of getting compensated for the outcome of the accident. This compensation usually covers pain and suffering expenses, medical bills, potential wages that you lose due to a temporary handicap, and so on. Car accidents are one of the most common causes of injury on the planet. More than 50 million people are involved in car accidents each year. Although the rate of car accidents is decreasing in high-income countries, it is increasing on a global level. Approximately 1.3 million people die each year due to being involved in a car accident. All car accidents can be attributed to two major factors: human and mechanical. The Human Factor Based on several studies conducted throughout the last decades, it is clear that the vast majority of car accidents are caused by human error. Several studies have related that more than 90% of all car accidents are caused by mistakes made by drivers. Mobile devices have always had the highest risk of causing a car accident. Reports say that using a mobile device while driving increases the chance of the driver being involved in a car accident by almost 10 times. This includes dialing a number, reading or writing a text message, even while using a hands-free device. On one hand, using a phone while driving is illegal in most countries around the world, and on the other hand, the same countries allow the use of hands-free devices. However, using a hands-free device while driving is still not a safe method. The risk is greater with hands-free devices due to their perceived safety, but several studies from the past years have shown that the simple use of a hands-free device can severely impair the concentration and focus of the driver. The United States National Safety Council conducted a study which revealed that simply listening to a phone conversation decreases the brain activity by approximately 30%. Moreover, drivers who were talking on the phone, regardless of using a hands-free device, were more likely to miss almost 50% of all traffic events. The Mechanical Factor Roughly 10% of all car accidents are caused by faulty mechanics. There are several factors that come into play when it comes to faulty mechanics, the most common being the usage of the car parts for prolonged periods of time without replacement. Throughout history, car mechanics have been gradually improved due to safety concerns. The introduction of the seat belts managed to reduce fatal injuries by up to 45%. rnSeveral other improvements, such as airbags, brake-locking systems, and impact-absorbing front and rear bumpers have managed to reduce the amount of casualties caused by mechanical issues. Conclusion Every day, over 140000 car accidents occur around the world. Approximately 3200 people die each day due to such car accidents. In order to preserve your health and safety, it is highly important to understand the risk you expose yourself to on a daily basis, both as a driver and as a pedestrian. In the unfortunate event of you being involved in a car accident, filing an insurance claim should be the first legal step you should take.