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A rear-end collision is an automobile accident wherein one car crashes into the backside of another car. Rear-end collisions are notorious for leaving accident victims with painful head and neck injuries, among other types of injuries. Some rear-end collisions lead to rollovers and other complications. What seems to frustrate accident victims the most is that there was very little they could do to avoid the rear-end collision. They were at the mercy of the driver behind them.
Victims injured in rear-end collisions should speak with an experienced car crash attorney. It is important to have an experienced auto accident lawyers to look out for your interests and ensure that you receive the compensation you are entitled to. Mark A. Hammer & Associates, Inc. has helped accident victims hurt in rear-end collisions throughout western Washington and Puget Sound for 30 years.
Frequent Causes
Most rear-end collisions occur when one automobile is following another at an unsafe distance, known as tailgating, and does not have enough time or space to avoid colliding. An automobile traveling at only 25 miles per hour requires at least 85 feet of roadway to come to a complete stop in an emergency situation. As an automobile’s speed increases, the distance needed to stop does too. Most federal and state agencies recommend that drivers maintain no less than 3 seconds worth of distance between themselves and the vehicle ahead. This is meant to help drivers know how much space is enough to avoid a rear-end collision with the car ahead. Tailgating is a significant cause of fuel fires in automobile accidents.
Another common cause of rear-end collisions is the inattentive driver. An inattentive driver is one whose attention is focused on anything but the road ahead. Typically, the distracted driver will be approaching congested traffic ahead, or an intersection stopped by a traffic light or a stop sign. By the time the distracted driver looks back to the road, it is too late and the driver slams into the vehicle ahead. Many states have taken steps to prevent rear-end collisions by distracted drivers by prohibiting certain cellphone use while driving.