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In short, mechanical failures in vehicles may be a bigger problem than the available data suggests. Owners not maintaining there cars or trucks properly is a well recognized problem and their maintenance failures can be what might have caused you to be involved in a car accident or suffer an injury.
#1 Tires And Wheels: Flat or blown tires are a major cause of vehicle accidents in the USA. According to the Crash Stats report,“the tire problem accounted for about 35 percent (±11.4%) of the crashes”where vehicle failures were the cause of the crash. This makes tire failure the most common cause of a vehicle failure crash.
Two of the most common types of problems with tires are tire blowouts and worn tires.
Tire Blowouts. Blowouts can happen for a number of reasons, such as a worn-out, under- or over-inflated tire suddenly bursting under pressure, tires being punctured by debris in the road, or even sudden, severe temperature changes. Tire blowouts drastically reduce the ability to control the vehicle all at once, causing crashes.
Worn Tires. Over time, tires will start to wear thin, losing their tread. This can be a major problem on the road, as it compromises tire grip — particularly in inclement weather (snow, rain, etc.). Worn tires are more likely to slip, take more distance to brake, and aren’t as responsive because of their weak grip on the road. All of which contribute to accidents.
#2 Mechanical And Brake Failures: According to the crash stats report,“brake related problems as critical reasons accounted for about 22 percent (±15.4%)”of crashes where vehicle failure was the cited cause of the crash.
Defective or bad brakes are a major factor in rear-end collisions, where the inability to stop in time causes a vehicle to ram right into the vehicle in front.
#3 Steering And Suspension Problems: Steering wheel columns have many sensitive parts that can break, compromising your control of a vehicle. The third most-common critical reason for a car accident cited in the NHTSA report was a combination of“steering/suspension/transmission/engine-related problems.”This combination category accounted for just 3 percent of the crashes cited in the report.
Part of the reason why these issues are rarely cited as the critical reason for an accident is that they’re harder to document and identify post-crash. Blown tires & worn brakes are easy to spot, but damage to the suspension caused by defect or wear and tear is harder to sort out from the damage incurred in the crash.
Steering and suspension problems can cause a loss of control over vehicles at inopportune moments.
We serve clients injured anywhere throughout the state of Colorado, but we focus on residents of these areas: Colorado Springs, Manitou Springs, Fountain, Briargate, Monument, Black Forest, Pueblo, Canon City, Larkspur, Security-Widefield, Peyton, Castle Rock, Teller County, El Paso County, Elbert County, Park County, Douglas County and beyond.
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