What Should You Do if You Cause a Rear-End Accident?

Being involved in a car accident can be scary, no matter who is at fault. If you are involved in a rear-end accident, it is important to follow specific steps while trying to remain as calm as possible.

1. Call 911. You will need to file a police report. If any passengers or drivers are injured, they should seek medical treatment.
2. Check on the other driver. You want to make sure the other driver is responsive and not seriously injured. The 911 dispatcher may ask you to do this anyway if you can safely exit your vehicle.
3. If possible, move the vehicles out of the way. If the vehicles are still drivable, you may be instructed to move them off to the side of the road or another area out of traffic.
4. Wait for the police to arrive. Leaving the scene of an accident is a serious offense. Even if you are at fault, you will still need a police report to claim damages with your insurance company.
5. Take pictures. No matter who was at fault, pictures can be useful to support your case or account of the details that led up to the accident.

Am I Automatically At-Fault for Rear-Ending Someone Else?

In most cases, you can be held at-fault for rear-ending another driver. Traffic laws require drivers to follow at a safe operating distance and drive defensively. This means you are responsible for taking appropriate precautions to stop in time before hitting the vehicle in front of you. Even if the car you hit stopped suddenly, had inoperable brake lights, or failed to signal, you can still be held responsible for the accident.

Rear-End Collision Statistics

While the state of Texas does not track the occurrence of rear-end collisions, it did report that in 2016 there were 265,076 people injured in traffic accidents.¹ According to a news article in the Washington Post, every year there are approximately 1.7 million rear-end collisions, with around 500,000 injuries and 17,000 deaths.² Out of those accidents, nearly 87% were caused due to distracted driving.

Tips for Preventing Rear-End Accidents

• Never drive distracted. Distractions that take your eyes off the road can cause you to hit someone. Put the cell phone down. Don’t try to eat or drink, put on makeup, or shave while driving.
• Maintain a safe following distance. A safe following distance should be at least three seconds, in slow traffic, to six to ten seconds for high-speed driving.
• Don’t fully rely on new technologies. Modern vehicles include forward collision alert and prevention features. However, since these are newer technologies, you should not put complete faith in whether they will respond fast enough to prevent an accident.

If you were injured in a rear-end collision caused by another driver, please feel free to contact Schechter, McElwee, Shaffer, & Harris, L.L.P., Houston TX auto accident lawyers, for a free consultation at 713.574.5089 today!

Sources:

1. https://ftp.dot.state.tx.us/pub/txdot-info/trf/crash_statistics/2016/01.pdf
2. https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/dr-gridlock/wp/2015/06/08/there-are-about-1-7-million-rear-end-collisions-on-u-s-roads-each-year-heres-how-to-stop-them/?noredirect=on&utm_term=.63383dcd58f6