Most Common Causes Of Car Accidents In Kansas City, MO
If you expected the largest city in Missouri to have many traffic collisions, you would be correct. According to the Missouri State Highway Patrol, Jackson County, Missouri, saw 95 fatal wrecks and 5,280 injury accidents in 2022. In all, there were 18,670 total wrecks in Jackson County that year.
It is common for one or more contributing circumstances to have helped cause the accident. In many cases, these contributing factors are actions or decisions made by one driver or the other. This article discusses the most common causes of car crashes. If you’ve been in a collision in Kansas City, don’t hesitate to contact a car accident attorney to discuss your options for recovering compensation in Missouri.
Failing To Yield The Right Of Way
Right-of-way rules are critical at intersections and other places where two or more vehicles traveling in opposing directions come together. In many situations, drivers in Kansas City are simply expected to know the right-of-way laws and how they apply in any given situation.
As statistics show, though, drivers either do not remember them or do not know them. A total of 22,963 crashes were caused by one driver failing to yield the right of way to others.
Following Too Closely
Not leaving a sufficient distance between your car and the car in front of you is a dangerous form of aggressive driving in Kansas City, MO. If the driver ahead of you suddenly stops, you may not have enough time or space to stop before colliding with them. Even if the driver ahead of you negligently slows down or stops without reason, following too closely can limit your recovery.
The Missouri State Highway Patrol’s statistics showed that 17,287 crashes in 2022 were due at least in part to one driver following too closely. This resulted in 31 fatalities and 5,526 traffic injuries.
Improper Lane Usage Or Lane Change in Kansas City, MO
Close behind in third on the list of most common circumstances contributing to Kansas City crashes are drivers who do not stay in their own traffic lane or who unsafely move from one lane to another. The reasons drivers would do this vary. Sometimes, they are simply distracted, but other times, they are driving aggressively or impaired by drugs or alcohol.
Whatever the reason, improper lane usage contributed to 17,272 total crashes, 182 of which were fatal and 3,644 of which caused at least one injury.
Distracted Driving
Distracted driving is a well-known factor in numerous crashes nationwide, and in Missouri, the same holds true. Cell phone usage is a common distraction that can lead to a crash, but so can putting on make-up, eating food, or even controlling unruly children or noisy passengers. Throughout the state, there were 78 fatal crashes and 3,919 wrecks involving a distracted driver.
Traveling Too Fast For Kansas City Road Conditions
Excessive speed is another risk factor that can increase the chance of a wreck. However, it might surprise you to learn that excessive speed does not always mean exceeding the speed limit.
If weather or road conditions are poor in Kansas City, or if traffic is heavy, the prudent thing to do would be to slow down to a more reasonable speed. In these situations, you should slow down, even if doing so means you drive slower than the posted speed limit.
Drivers who did not travel at an appropriate and prudent speed for the prevailing road conditions played a role in 13,900 accidents, including 158 fatal crashes and 4,114 injury accidents.
Violating Traffic Signs And Signals
One of the most basic rules of the road is that you must obey posted traffic signs and traffic lights in Kansas City, Missouri. Other drivers expect that you will follow them; when you do not, those other drivers are often unprepared to avoid a collision.
While many signs and signals make use of bright lights or reflective material, they can still be easy to miss at night or if you are not familiar with the area. A total of 6,033 vehicle crashes in Missouri in 2022 had this as a contributing factor.
Animals In Roadway
While this situation may not surface often within the downtown areas of Kansas City, Missouri is a mostly rural state once you exit the cities. This is reflected in the fact that 5,156 accidents were caused in part by an animal being present on the roadway. Thankfully, these crashes did not result in many injuries or deaths.
Only five people died in accidents caused by an animal in the roadway, and only 868 people were injured. A total of 4,437 of these accidents resulted only in property damage.
Other Circumstances That Frequently Lead To Kansas City Auto Crashes
The following driver behaviors contributed to at least 3,000 crashes throughout Missouri during 2022:
- Making an improper turn was a circumstance present in 4,697 car wrecks
- Consumption of alcohol played a role in 4,692 collisions
- Exceeding the posted speed limit was present in 3,471 accidents
- Drivers who overcorrected were responsible for causing 3,110 accidents, at least in part
The factor resulting in the greatest number of fatality accidents was failure to yield. Improper backing was the only circumstance mentioned above that did not contribute to any fatality wrecks.
The Takeaway For Kansas City, Missouri Drivers
Accidents happen throughout Missouri, including in and around Kansas City, for a variety of reasons. Some of these reasons come up more often than others in accident reports, and it is these circumstances that drivers should be the most aware of. They represent the ways in which numerous other motorists have found themselves injured or killed.
In many of the cases, such accidents could have been avoided if drivers had not engaged in a particular behavior. By being aware of them and deliberately avoiding these behaviors yourself, you can increase the chances that you will avoid an accident, too.
Image credit: Depositphotos