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The Insurance Institute for Highway Safety says that increasing speed from 40 to 60 mph doubles the severity of a car crash; speeding is often "un-thinking," and observing speed limits takes concentration.
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Drowsy drivers or those suffering from lack of sleep or illness are as dangerous as aggressive drivers with anger-management problems.
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The NHTSA reports that alcohol is a major player--half of all weekend accidents involve alcohol--but drugs, whether prescribed or "recreational," are increasingly considered equally dangerous (see Resources).
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Noisy kids, interactions between other passengers, "rubbernecking" and emergency vehicles (including the "red lights in the rearview mirror") provide distractions that can involuntarily pull attention away from oncoming hazards.
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New drivers (whatever their age) tend to make more mistakes simply because the perspective behind the wheel is different, the size of the vehicle affects the sense of speed and most new drivers are not practiced in making the type of split-second decisions that most experienced drivers make without thinking.
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Cell phone conversations, tuning the radio, reading maps, eating or watching the kids are behaviors that drivers actively choose to do that neglect their primary duties as drivers.
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Weather, wet pavement, construction zones, even unfamiliar routes can contribute to accidents.
