According to The National Motor Vehicle Crash Causation Study (NMVCCS), vehicle problems were the critical or immediate reason for a mere 2% of light vehicle accidents. These were the parts of the vehicles they found to be at fault:
- Tires or wheel: 35%
- Brakes: 22%
- Steering/suspension/transmission or engine: 3%
- Other: 40%
The NMVCCS admits the report leaves a lot to be answered. They failed to examine many vehicles involved in the study for more than surface damage. The other issue is that they could only allocate one critical reason per crash. Thus, in many cases, a vehicle fault may have contributed to a collision, but they could not record it.
Unlike many states, Georgia has no requirement for annual vehicle safety inspections, although some counties carry out emissions tests. That means it is up to the drivers to ensure their vehicles are safe to drive. A well-maintained car gives a driver a better chance to avoid a collision. Here are some of the reasons a poorly maintained vehicle can contribute to or cause an accident:
- Tires: Has another driver skidded into you? If their tires were worn, they would not have provided the traction needed to slow safely.
- Brakes: If someone rear-ends you, it could be because their brakes were not working correctly. Something as simple as a lack of brake fluid can drastically decrease their ability to stop promptly.
- Steering and suspension: A car that drifts across into your lane or goes too wide on a corner and collides with you, may have worn steering or suspension.
- Engine: If a vehicle cuts out in front of you, causing you to run into them, they may have an issue that caused their motor to cut out.
If another driver causes you to have a car crash, take a quick look at their vehicle. It could be that the medical expenses and repair bills you face are due to their reluctance to spend on maintenance.
