7 of the Most Unusual Causes of Car Accidents

Car accidents happen every day, but just what causes them differs from scene to scene. Of course, we all know that distracted drivers, cell phone users and drunken motorists wreak havoc on our roads, but what about accidents caused by lesser known events?

There are quite of few of these collisions on record, and most are accompanied by common sense caveats—others however, may fall under “freak accidents” that could not be avoided or even anticipated.  Either way, we can learn a thing or two from these enlightening incidents.

1.    Ogling women – Here is a sad statistic.  Ogling women causes some 900,000 road accidents a year, according to new research.  An independent study indicated that the distraction is not limited to live pedestrians, but also includes lovely lasses on billboards.  This research also indicated that the numbers could be even higher.
What can we do?  Well, unlike cell phones which can be put away, one cannot tell attractive men and women to dress more conservatively.  The only answer to this phenomenon is to keep your eyes on the road, even if Jessica Simpson’s twin is walking down the street!

2.    Officer, I saw a Ghost! – Whether real or imagined, ghosts have been blamed for car accidents for decades.   The reality of this of course, cannot be ascertained.   What can be noted is that many of the people who experience this phenomenon are totally convinced of the occurrence.   Because a car accident can be serious no matter the cause, it is always best to stay calm in such situations, lest you join your ghost on the other side.

3.    Spider causes wreck – In October 2005   an individual who was driving down the highway was plowed into by an oncoming car.  The accident caused extensive injuries but the cause made this unfortunate event even more tragic—the woman that caused the collision had been frightened by a spider and was so ‘freaked out’ that she started driving erratically.  The interesting aspect about this is, such an accident isn’t an isolated incident. Many people are involved in accidents where creatures like insects or even lizards are the catalysts.   The lesson here is to remain calm in such situations—if you are frightened by the creature that makes an appearance in your vehicle, pull over and get rid of the offending bug! That way, you lessen danger to yourself and to others.

4.    Hit by a turkey – Deer, turkey’s, caribou, rabbits and alligators— all of these animals can and often are the cause of car accidents.  Thing is, many of these accidents are highly avoidable.  Now of course, you can’t do anything about an animal that darts out in front of you from no where (and even less can be done about a strange animal, like a Moose or crocodile, popping up in an unlikely area) however some roads are clearly marked with signs that indicate a high proliferation of a certain animal population.  These postings are intended to provide you with a warning, so that you know to slow down and keep up an eye out for such creatures.  Those who fail to heed these warnings may regret not being more perceptive.  The solution?  While you cannot plan for every contingency, you should pay heed to signs indicating that animals travel in the area, and then slow down accordingly – it may save your life and the life of precious wildlife as well.

5.    Hit by piece of Truck – Equipment has been known to fall off or out of trucks, but very few people are actually hit by a flying piece of the vehicle itself.  This actually occurred in recent history, when an unfortunate Kansas man died after a large gear piece from a truck went through the windshield of 60-year-old Kent Stanzel.  As Stanzel travelled on K-36 the trucks transmission fell apart and the gear hit the pavement at a high rate of speed.  The gear shattered the windshield and stuck the elderly Andover man — he died hours after.  As far as a caveat for this situation, there isn’t much of one—this probably happened so fast that even the best of drivers couldn’t have avoided this inevitable tragedy. In other words—one could simply file this under the freak accident category.

6.    Lightning caused crash– lightning had been known to strike cars despite the fact they usually hit stationary objects like trees.  Although a lighting strike on a moving vehicle is rare, flash lightning can blind drivers and cause them to veer off road and crash into objects.  Because lightning tends to occur during rain storms, linking this natural phenomenon to the accident may be difficult to prove, especially if the accident proves fatal.  The best defense of course, is to remain indoors during storms that include lightning.

7.    UFO Sighting – as people become more and more convinced of the existence of alien beings, more sightings have been reported.  Along with this rise in sightings are car crashes related to this paranormal experience.  Whether one can believe the claims of motorists who say bright discs in the sky made them lose their way remains to be seen.  Some may even go as far to say that they no longer had control of their car during the visitation.  There isn’t really a ‘recommended’ way that a person can prepare themselves to deal with a potential UFO encounter.   Perhaps we can merely say that people should keep their eyes open for the possibility of uncertain conditions or occurrences that may contribute to an accident.  This hyper vigilance can perhaps make us better prepared for any situation, no matter how outlandish, odd or downright strange.

As time progresses, one thing is for certain.  We will continue to have car accidents caused by human error, and a host of other circumstances that cannot be predicted.  All we can reasonably  do is to try to drive as safely as possible and pay special attention to the road.

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