6 Common Types Of Car Accidents That Can Cost You A Whole Lot Of Money

2 min read By eCompareMo on October 12, 2016

According to the World Health Organization (WHO), more than 10,000 Filipinos die from an automobile accident ever year, and the numbers just keep growing.

With more vehicles becoming part of the country’s booming vehicle industry, expect more people to get involved in road misfortunes, whether behind the wheel or otherwise.

While a car crash is hard to prevent even if you’re doing your best at manning the wheel, it pays to know the most common types of car accident scenarios; pretty sure you’ve got some serious explaining to do to your car insurance agent, or wife.

1. Rear-end collision

Probably the most common type of auto accident, a rear-end collision happens either when the front car decelerates suddenly or the rear car accelerates at a rate faster than the one directly in front of them.

While the vehicle front or rear can protect the passengers from being pinned, people inside the vehicle are prone to whiplash, a type of neck injury that strains the muscles, nerves, and bones in the neck.

2. Side-impact collision

A type of accident where car damage results from a vehicle ramming a vehicle’s side. This sorry occurrence is also called “T-bone” collision or “broadside.”

Accidents like this often happen when a car crashes on a crossing vehicle, often at intersections. Since the impact is on the side, the people most vulnerable to injuries are the ones on the collision side of the car crash.

3. Rollover

A common accident among sports utility vehicles (SUVs), this is when a vehicle flips and rolls after the driver makes a sharp turn at high speeds. This is more common among SUVs because they are taller and have a higher center of gravity, making them more prone to rollovers.

People involved in this type of auto crash may sustain damage in five critical areas, namely head and neck, thorax, abdomen, upper limbs, and lower limbs, which can lead to traumatic brain injury, spinal cord injury, broken bones, and cuts, scrapes, and bruises. Furthermore, it can also damage other vehicles and properties nearby.

4. Sideswipe collisions

While this may not be as serious as others, this type of vehicle accident can damage your vehicle’s side depending on the level of impact.

Side swipes often happen when two parallel vehicles touch one another. Although usually not enough to cause lots of damage, the only time it can lead to worse traffic accidents is when either of the vehicles loses control of the car after coming into contact with the other.

Other than that, the damage is usually just cosmetic. Usually, trading paint with another car is the easiest in terms of car accident insurance claim.

5. Head-on collision

The most dangerous of all vehicle accidents. It’s most likely to occur when a car does a haphazardly executed counterflow, causing two vehicles to crash head-on with one another. Due to the impact from involved vehicles—especially when both vehicles are traveling at a high speed—it can cause critical injuries to all the passengers.

Aside from its high fatality rate, cars involved in a head-on collision can be totaled and no longer be salvaged by repairs.

6. Single car accident

Also called a self-inflicted accident. Usually, the driver unintentionally crashes into objects like poles, trees, barriers, and in some cases, pedestrians. Cases of single car accidents often fall under property damage and/or personal injury when applying auto accident insurance claim. This is the easiest type of road misfortune to avoid, and yet, the hardest to accept.