The danger of side-impact car accidents

Why are side-impact car accidents so dangerous?  

Take a look at any vehicle. There is significantly more distance between the front of the vehicle and the driver than between the side of the vehicle and the driver.  

Generally, the greater the distance, the more protection someone has in the event a collision occurs. When one vehicle strikes another on the side, the force of the impact travels right through the vehicle that was hit. 

What makes side-impact collisions more dangerous than other types of car accidents? The answer to this question has to do with how side-impact car accidents happen in the first place. 

Some common causes include:

• Running a red light due to a distracted or intoxicated driver
• Not stopping at a stop sign
• Failing to yield the right of way to the appropriate vehicle 
• Reckless or aggressive driving
• Malfunctioning traffic lights
• Weather conditions leading to slippery road conditions 

All these causes carry with them the risk of elevated speeds. A driver who fails to stop or yield when they are required to; is usually traveling at a greater speed than they should be. Since the driver at fault in this scenario made little to no attempt at slowing down, the resulting collision occurs at an elevated speed which can result in greater damage to the vehicle(s) involved and a heightened risk of sustaining a serious injury to anyone caught in the collision.