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Common Causes of Car Accidents

Vancouver Car Accident Lawyer

Vancouver is no longer the sleepy community it was in the past, and the density of the population has led to many serious traffic problems throughout the city. The numbers of auto accidents continue to rise, and these accidents involve a range of negligent driving behaviours. In other areas of B.C., there are road conditions that are dangerous even in the dry months, often leading to serious or deadly accidents. Our Vancouver car accident lawyers represent the injured victims in ICBC claims. With 20 years of experience in car accident cases, you can trust our Vancouver car accident lawyer to know how to present your claim and help you seek to recover a fair settlement.

The statistics for car accidents in British Columbia in 2013 reveal some staggering numbers. The total number of accidents in 2013 was 260,000, with 170,000 of these accidents taking place in the Lower Mainland. The number of injuries reached a shocking 85,000, with 61,000 of the injury accidents occurring in the Vancouver metro area, followed by Vancouver Island at 10,000, the Southern Interior at 9,700, and North Central BC at 3,200. In 2013, 538 people were killed in traffic accidents throughout the province.

Causes of Car Accidents in Canada

Car accident due to weather conditions in Canada

There are three main reasons behind these auto crashes: high speed, impaired driving and distractions. The statistics from ICBC reveal that in 2013, 28% of fatal accidents were caused by speeding, 23% by drunk driving, and 29% by driver distractions. These types of accidents are described below.

Weather & Road Conditions

Driving too fast for weather conditions is dangerous, and led to 30 fatal car accidents in 2013, with an average of over 46 a year over the most recent 5-year span. Although heavy rains make it unsafe to travel at normal speeds, some drivers just won’t slow down. Driving on icy and snowy roads always poses a risk, but drivers who drive faster than they should in rainy, snowy, or icy conditions often cause car accidents with tragic results.

Texting While Driving and Distracted Driving

Cell phone use while driving is well known to be dangerous, and texting while driving puts the driver, the passengers and all travellers on the road at great risk of harm. The driver’s eyes are not on the road ahead; instead he or she is mentally focused on reading an incoming text or email, or in composing the text or email. While the attention of the driver is shifted off the road and onto the digital device, the vehicle travels a great distance, and the potential for rear-ending another car, swerving out of lanes and into oncoming traffic and other dangers is very real. Other driver distractions include daydreaming, talking on the phone, playing with various systems within the vehicle, eating, putting on makeup or even reading.

Reckless or Aggressive Driving

Some drivers become aggressive when they get behind the wheel. A normally friendly individual can have a complete change in personality, becoming aggressive and driving unsafely. Activities such as tailgating, speeding, improper passing, ignoring traffic control devices, weaving from lane to lane and other poor driving behaviours put all others sharing the streets or highways at high risk of an injury. The majority of high-risk driving takes place in Vancouver and in other communities in the Lower Mainland.

Driver Fatigue

ICBC has reported that an alarming number of drivers – 30% — have admitted that they have nodded off while behind the wheel, and 43% admitted to driving while fatigued. Our lives are busy, and many people just don’t get enough sleep. Others are taking medications that can increase drowsiness as a side effect. Accidents involving driver fatigue occur more frequently during the summer months, when many people take longer road trips.

Speeding

Drivers who exceed the speed limit or operate their vehicles too fast for the conditions are responsible for a great number of injury accidents and deaths in British Columbia every year. Speeding drivers endanger all others sharing the street or highway, as well as putting their own passengers at risk. Many people speed as a habit; others may be late for work or school or have other problems that they are trying to solve. Unfortunately, the truth is that it is better to be late than to find yourself in the hospital or to cause the death of another person through your actions.

Most Dangerous Intersections in the Lower Mainland

Many car accidents occur at intersections. Based on ICBC claims, the most dangerous intersections in communities of the Lower Mainland are:

  • In Vancouver
      1. Knight Street Bridge
      2. Knight Street & Knight Street Bridge & Southeast Marine Drive & Southeast Marine Drive onramp & Southeast Marine Drive off-ramp
      3. Boundary Road & Grandview Highway & Grandview Highway onramp
      4. Boundary Road & Kingsway
      5. Main Street & Terminal Avenue
  • In Langley:
      1. 264 Street & 264 Street onramp & 56 Avenue & 56 Avenue onramp & 56 Avenue off-ramp & Trans-Canada Highway & turn lane
      2. 200 Street & 200 Street off-ramp & 200 Street onramp & 88 Avenue & 88 Avenue onramp & Trans-Canada Highway
      3. 232 Street & 232 Street off-ramp & 232 Street onramp & 72 Avenue & 72 Avenue onramp & Trans-Canada Highway
      4. 200 Street & 88 Avenue & turn lane
      5. Fraser Highway & Langley Bypass
  • In Surrey:
      1. 88 Avenue & King George Boulevard
      2. 72 Avenue & King George Boulevard
      3. Pattullo Bridge
      4. 128 Street & King George Boulevard & turn lane
      5. 120 Street & 72 Avenue
  • In Burnaby:
      1. Boundary Road & Grandview Highway & Grandview Highway Onramp
      2. Trans-Canada Highway & Willingdon Avenue & Willingdon Avenue onramp & Willingdon Avenue off-ramp & emergency lane & turning lane
      3. Boundary Road & Kingsway
      4. Gaglardi Way & Lougheed Way & turning lane
      5. Canada Way & Willingdon Avenue
  • In Coquitlam:
      1. Brunette Avenue & Brunette Avenue onramp & Brunette Avenue off-ramp & Trans-Canada Highway
      2. Lougheed Highway & Westwood Street
      3. Barnet Highway & Lougheed Highway & Pinetree Way
      4. Port Mann Bridge
      5. Barnet Highway & Johnson Street & Mariner Way & turn lane
  • In New Westminster:
      1. Brunette Avenue & Brunette Avenue onramp & Brunette Avenue off-ramp & Trans-Canada Highway
      2. Pattullo Bridge
      3. Braid Street & Brunette Avenue
      4. 10th Avenue & Canada Way & 8th Street & 10th Avenue
      5. East 8th Avenue & 8th Avenue & McBride Boulevard

If you have been injured in a car accident, please call (604) 874-7171 for a free review of your case. Klein Lawyers has extensive experience helping clients who have been injured in car accidents with their ICBC claims and other damages in Vancouver and throughout British Columbia.

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