Were you in a car accident? You need to identify the cause of the accident and link it to your defendant to prove liability. That is the only way the defendant can compensate for your damages. Note that most auto accidents occur due to driving errors. Below is an overview of different forms of driving errors that can lead to auto accidents.

Recognition Errors

Every road has potential dangers. Fortunately, most drivers have the skills, experience, and awareness to avoid those dangers and related accidents. A driver makes a recognition error if they don't see, recognize, or identify such road dangers.

Consider a motorist cruising at highway speeds who fails to see a stalled truck. The motorist driver can easily crash into the stalled truck. The same thing might happen if the driver sees the truck but assumes it is moving.

Driving distractions are often the main causes of recognition errors. Potential causes of distractions include:

• Eating
• Applying makeup
• Playing with a pet
• Using the phone

Technically, anything that causes a driver's vision or mind to wander from driving can lead to a recognition error and an auto accident.

Decision Errors

A typical motorist has to make numerous decisions before reaching their destination. Some of the decisions include:

• When to accelerate or slow down
• When to change lanes
• When to switch lights on or off
• How fast to negotiate a turn
• When to increase or decrease the following distance

Some of the factors that affect these decisions include:

• Road conditions
• Traffic density
• Car make and model
• Prevailing weather conditions

Motorists usually have to make these decisions in a split second. Making the wrong decision can easily lead to an accident.

Consider a case where a driver doesn't reduce their speed enough after a snowfall. The driver might skid and crash into other motorists or roadside objects. In such a case, a decision error is the cause of the accident.

Performance Errors

As mentioned above, driving dangers are all over the road, and drivers have to identify them, decide how to deal with them, and execute the decisions. A performance error arises if a driver recognizes a potential danger and identifies a remedy but executes the remedy erroneously and causes an accident.

Poor physical executions of driving decisions are the common causes of performance errors. Consider a case where a driver spots a stalled car and swerves to avoid it. However, the driver turns the wheel too fast and too far while swerving, losing control of the car and causing an accident.

Other examples of performance errors include:

• Stomping on the brake too hard
• Overcorrecting the car during a skid
• Jerking the wheel if driving off the road

In a performance error, the driver knows what to do but doesn't do it safely.

Non-Performance Errors

Non-performance errors are the opposite of performance errors. In this case, the motorist doesn't do what they are supposed to do to avoid danger on the road. Some examples of non-performance errors include:

• A driver experiences sudden paralysis and loses control of their car
• A driver falls asleep behind the wheel and runs off the road
• An intoxicated driver doesn't give way at an intersection and causes a T-bone accident
• A drowsy and fatigued driver doesn't signal while changing lanes and causes an accident

Unavoidable circumstances, such as sudden health issues, can easily cause non-performance errors.

Causation and liability are not always clear after an auto accident. You may need to investigate the accident. Security camera footage, eyewitness testimony, and accident reconstruction can help prove your case. Palmetto Injury Lawyers can help you investigate the accident and pursue your damages. Contact us for a free initial consultation to review your case and determine how to proceed.