Risk factors when driving.
Speeding and Driving under the influence of alcohol and other psychoactive substances.
Speeding: 
A new study out from the National Transportation Safety Board states there is a singular and unequivocal reason for increased traffic deaths: Speed is what’s killing Americans. Remember: SPEED KILLS, so slow down and live! Speeding kills just about as many as drunk driving. Therefore by slowing down decreases your death rate dramatically.
- Driving under the influence of alcohol and any psychoactive substance or drug increases the risk of a crash that results in death or serious injuries.
- In the case of drink-driving, the risk of a road traffic crash starts at low levels of blood alcohol concentration (BAC) and increases significantly when the driver's BAC is ≥ 0.04 g/dl.
- In the case of drug-driving, the risk of incurring a road traffic crash is increased to differing degrees depending on the psychoactive drug used. For example, the risk of a fatal crash occurring among those who have used amphetamines is about 5 times the risk of someone who hasn't.
Nonuse of motorcycle helmets, seat-belts, and child restraints
- Wearing a motorcycle helmet correctly can reduce the risk of death by almost 40% and the risk of severe injury by over 70%.
- Wearing a seat-belt reduces the risk of a fatality among front-seat passengers by 40–50% and of rear-seat passengers by between 25–75%.
- If correctly installed and used, child restraints reduce deaths among infants by approximately 70% and deaths among small children by between 54% and 80%.
Distracted driving. There are many types of distractions that can lead to impaired driving. The distraction caused by mobile phones is a growing concern for road safety. 
- Drivers using mobile phones are approximately 4 times more likely to be involved in a crash than drivers not using a mobile phone. Never text and drive! Using a phone while driving slows reaction times (notably braking reaction time, but also reaction to traffic signals), and makes it difficult to keep in the correct lane, and to keep the correct following distances.
- Hands-free phones are not much safer than hand-held phone sets, and texting considerably increases the risk of a crash. If you text and drive you will have a crash and most likely major.
- Remember: FOCUS, keep 3-4 car lengths behind others while driving. Do not follow semi-trucks, road debris and truck re-treads can easily be run over by large trucks, but you will not have time to react and they could tear the front end of your car off causing you to wreck.
- Watch for cars sitting on sides streets or stores who are waiting to pull out, let off the gas and be prepared to stop suddenly.
- Keep your eyes scanning side to side and several cars in front of you, if you can see them breaking first and if there is an accident going on then you will be prepared to react and stop much quicker.
- Each day, more than 9 people are killed due to distracted driving.
- More than 1060 people are injured in crashes that involve a distracted driver.1 out of 3 people text while driving.
- You are 23 times more likely to crash while texting while driving.
- Distraction was reported as a factor in nearly 1 in 5 crashes in which someone was injured.
- 40% of all American teens say that they have been in a car when the driver used a cell phone in a way that put people in danger.
- Driving while using a cell phone reduces the amount of brain activity associated with driving by 37%.
Sending or receiving a text takes a driver’s eyes from the road for an average of 4.6 seconds, the equivalent of driving the length of an entire football field blind.
Other uncontrolled variables that relate to accident and injury.
- Psychological: Upset from work,and family issues, loud music road rage, being in a hurry, not using turn signals, tailgating
- A person's age, weight, height, and general health
- Type of vehicles involved in the collision
- Weight of the passengers(babies verses obese)
- Weight of vehicles
- Condition of road(snow, Ice, beginning to rain hydroplaning)
- Difference in vehicle speeds
- Impact direction
- Impact location on the car
- Use of head restraint or not properly fitted
- Failure of seat
- Angle of seat back
- Height of seat back
- Seat belt not worn correctly, loose or not fitted right
**All these variables can contribute more injury leading to serious spinal or extremity injury that can become permanent.
Call Injury Care Chiropractic as soon as you have been in an accident no matter how minor you think it was. No one wants to be permanently disabled. The longer you wait the more likely it will become permanent.
What factors put teen drivers at risk?
- Teens are more likely than older drivers to underestimate dangerous situations or not be able to recognize hazardous situations. Teens are also more likely than adults to make critical decision errors that lead to serious crashes.
- Teens are more likely than older drivers to speed and allow shorter headways (the distance from the front of one vehicle to the front of the next). The presence of male teenage passengers increases the likelihood of this risky driving behavior.
- In 2015, 48% of teen deaths from motor vehicle crashes occurred between 3 p.m. and midnight and 52% occurred on Friday, Saturday, or Sunday.
- Compared with other age groups, teens have among the lowest rates of seat belt use. In 2015, only 61% of high school students reported they always wear seat belts when riding with someone else.
- At all levels of blood alcohol concentration (BAC), the risk of involvement in a motor vehicle crash is greater for teens than for older drivers.
- Among male drivers between 15 and 20 years of age who were involved in fatal crashes in 2015, 32% were speeding at the time of the crash12 and 22% had been drinking.
- In 2016, 15% of drivers aged 15 to 20 involved in fatal motor vehicle crashes had a BAC of .08% or higher.
- In a national survey conducted in 2015, 20% of high school students reported that, within the previous month, they had ridden with a driver who had been drinking alcohol. Among students who drove, 8% reported having driven after drinking alcohol within the same one-month period.
- In 2015, 60% of drivers aged 15 to 20 who were killed in motor vehicle crashes after drinking and driving were not wearing a seat belt.
