Guest post contributed by Samantha Harvey on behalf of HCA Lawyers.

In 2005 alone, there were almost 6.4 million automobile accidents in the United States. The cost of these crashes totalled more than $230 billion. Nearly 3 million people were injured and more than 45,000 died. Here, we will look at the most common causes of car accidents and what you can do to prevent yourself from being involved in one.

Factors

There are four major factors that contribute to vehicle accidents: mechanical issues, road design/maintenance, road condition and poor driver performance. The latter is responsible for 95% of all accidents involving motor vehicles, and includes poor driver performance in conjunction with one of the other three.

Let's take a closer look at each of these factors:

Mechanical Issues

Although manufacturers are required by law to design and engineer vehicles that meet industry safety standards, extensive testing cannot completely prevent accidents. The most cited types of equipment failure are loss of brakes and tire blowouts or tread separation.

When mechanical issues are to blame, the following are the most common:

    * Brakes. Anti-lock braking systems and disc brakes have reduced the risk of total brake failure, but, on older vehicles with drum brakes, fading due to heat is possible. Brake fluid, shoes and pads need to be maintained in modern vehicles.

    * Tires. Under inflation and uneven wear (meaning your tires haven't been rotated or balanced) are the two most common causes of tire failure and can be potentially hazardous. Check them every 5,000 miles.

Road Design and Maintenance

While it's become commonplace for many of us to complain about the poor signage or poor planning of the roads we use every day, road design doesn't actually influence accidents that much. Road design only becomes an issue when things like blind turns, blocked signs, and temporary diversions are involved, and none of these becomes dangerous unless the driver is driving too fast to anticipate their necessary changes.

Road Condition

While severe weather can turn an ordinarily safe road into a treacherous one, particularly if you live in a place where snow and ice are common, it is usually only when poor driver performance is factored in that serious risk exists. Poor road condition may exist because of weather, lack of funds for maintenance, or stop-and-go traffic which curtails normal traffic flow, and it is the latter that is the most dangerous because drivers end up so concerned about being rear-ended that they lose track of the vehicle in front of theirs, and end up doing the rear-ending.

Poor Driver Performance

A recent study conducted in Europe found that 80% of drivers involved in traffic accidents believe someone else is at fault, and 5% take responsibility for their actions, while the other 15% represent varied combined responses. While it's true that distractions can cause accidents - cell phone conversations, sipping coffee, applying make-up - the single biggest cause of vehicle accidents is speeding. For example, a report by the New York State Police showed that the following factors cause the most accidents - and all of them are under the driver's control:

• Speeding
• Unsafe or too-frequent lane changing
• Not using turn signals
• Tailgating
• Not yielding the right of way
• Ignoring traffic signals
• Driving while impaired by alcohol or drugs.

If you take a responsible view about your driving and indeed your passengers and fellow road users, then you increase your chances of not becoming one of the statistics.