Drivers, beware! A new study claims rear-end collisions are on the increase despite strong efforts from motor manufacturers to help combat the problem.
Accident management firm Accident Exchange say their research has uncovered a 7% rise in the number of rear-end crashes over the past three years. Rear-end collisions – where one car drives into the back of another – account for over a third of all accidents, and despite the majority occurring at low speeds in urban areas the average repair cost amounts to £2,000.
In most cases a driver will be at fault if they drive into the rear of another vehicle - as laid out in section 126 of the Highway Code - but there can be exceptions to this rule; for instance if the driver in front brakes suddenly for no reason, or does so immediately after changing lanes on a dual carriageway.
The rise comes despite an increasing number of new cars benefitting from advancements like improved braking systems such as ABS, as well as the development of collision avoidance systems. The report offered no obvious explanation for the increase given the improvements in vehicle safety over recent years, but suggested a contributory factor could come from increased connectivity providing the modern driver with a greater number of distractions, such as mobile phones and MP3 players.
Click here to sign up for our monthly newsletter
| Popular news stories |
||||||
 |
 |
 |
 |
|||
