Approximately 160,000 car accidents are reported in Canada annually, including many fatal accidents. While driving in Canada seems to be much safer than driving in other countries (even the United States), there are still a wide variety of risks associated with driving. No matter where you’re located, you still must be aware of the risks of personal injury in a motor vehicle accident.
There are five accidents that happen much more often than other types of accidents in most automotive accident situations:
- Low Speed/ Glancing Impacts
Car accidents happen at all speeds, not just high speeds. Even at a low speed of 20 to 30 km per hour, your car can still be damaged from impact and receive a fender-bender or worse. These types of accidents are incredibly common when leaving a driveway or parking area, and usually get charged as a split liability accident on most insurance reports.
- Frontal Impact (Braking Malfunction)
Generally speaking, motor vehicle accidents involving a front-end collision give the driver plenty of time to react, so there’s often less personal injury than other types of accidents. As humans, we absorb the shock of a collision in our arms and shoulders, and this can lead to tension. Additionally, these types of collisions create serious damages to your vehicle, because it affects the entire mechanical system – the radiator, the engine and the transmission.
These types of accidents can occur at any time and involve practically anything from a tree or road obstruction to another car hitting the brakes in a hazardous fashion. These accidents can cause considerable damages to the body, including concussions, internal damages and dislocations.
- Rear Impact (Rear-Ending)
Rear impacts are just as common as frontal impacts because more and more drivers are driving distractedly and getting into more accidents. Generally, these types of accidents are not necessarily the fault of the driver behind you, however, most Canadian Providences have a “no-fault” system, meaning that it’s up to you to prove that the other driver is more at fault if you suffer from injuries.
- Side Impact
Side impacts typically occur because another driver has attempted to run a red light or stop sign, and they smash into your door, window, or side panels. These types of accidents can cause the worst injury-related damages because there is often no airbag to protect drivers from the impact. It’s important to seek counsel from an attorney in these cases because injuries caused by these types of accidents can sometimes have huge consequences.
- Intersectional Impacts
Intersection accidents can occur from virtually any direction, making them difficult to predict and therefore creating issues like whiplash or spinal injury. These types of accidents can occur because of an unyielding driver or even swerving oncoming traffic. The fault of these accidents is easily determined by legal counsel because they tend to be very straightforward.
Because the traffic laws in Canada vary so widely, it’s important to seek proper legal counsel when dealing with personal injury or motor vehicle accident claims. Contact us today at Mirian Law to get all the details about what you should do if you’re in an accident!