Catania and Catania | February 17, 2025 | Car Accidents
The most common cause of rear-end collisions is distracted driving, which can mean texting, eating, or reprogramming a GPS while behind the wheel. Florida road safety reports show that distracted driving contributed to nearly 12% of the state’s crashes in one recent year. This is a particularly dangerous behavior as it diverts the driver’s attention away from the road, decreasing reaction time and increasing the risk of accidents.
Some other major contributors to rear-end accidents include:
- Tailgating: Following another vehicle too closely makes it harder to stop suddenly. That’s particularly bad news in Tampa’s stop-and-go traffic, where hard braking is a familiar experience.
- Speeding: The faster you go, the less time you have to respond and stop safely.
- Weather Conditions: Rain, common during Tampa’s summer months, makes the roads slick and could add to your stopping distance. Wet or inadequately drained streets, especially near downtown Tampa, compound this risk.
- Impaired Driving: Drugs and alcohol inhibit motor skills, judgment, and reaction time, which makes it harder for drivers to avoid collisions.
I-275 and the Veterans Expressway are two high-traffic areas that tend to have more rear-end crashes due to congested highway conditions and frequent lane changes. To lessen their risk, motorists traveling in these environments should stay alert, keep a safe distance between their vehicle and others, and minimize distractions.
How Common Are Rear-End Collisions?
Rear-end collisions are among the most frequent types of car accidents in Tampa and throughout Florida and the United States. NHTSA reports that rear-ending is one of the most common collisions, accounting for nearly 29% of all accidents in the U.S.
Particularly in Florida, where population density, tourist-related traffic, and congestion are all steep, the problem is worse. That’s even worse for Tampa drivers, who are all too likely to get shunted from behind on busy passages like I-4, the Veterans Expressway, and Dale Mabry Highway, where start/stop traffic produces brake lights. Tourist magnets like downtown Tampa and Ybor City also have a high frequency of rear-end collisions because drivers unfamiliar with local speed limits and signalization may stop suddenly.
These accidents happen in various circumstances, including:
- Rush Hour Traffic: Congestion in peak hours leads to many stops and starts and increases the risk of rear-ender collisions.
- Activity from Cars, Pedestrians, and Cyclists: Daily life in Tampa requires cars to accelerate and brake often. Especially in urban areas, cars yield to pedestrians or cyclists (two or more legs vs. four wheels).
- Slow-Moving Vehicles: Most rear-end crashes occur in vehicles that are moving slowly, such as on city streets or in construction areas.
The common occurrence of rear-end collisions stresses the importance of defensive driving, keeping a safe following distance, avoiding distractions, and staying cognizant of traffic flow.
Causes of Rear-End Collisions
Your braking distance includes your reaction time plus braking time. Your reaction time is the time it takes for you to realize you need to stop. It could be affected by drugs, alcohol, or distractions. Your braking time increases with your speed.
Rear-end collisions happen when the trailing vehicle does not stop before hitting the leading vehicle. Below are a few ways this happens, along with who bears the fault.
Following Too Closely
In 2020, Florida had 53,205 car accidents caused by tailgating. Six of these accidents were fatal. Over the same time, Florida police officers issued 13,691 citations for tailgating.
A following distance of three seconds provides a safe cushion between you and the car in front of you. This distance will vary with your speed.
When traveling on the freeway at 65 miles per hour, you cover 96 feet every second. A following distance of three seconds means you should leave 288 feet between you and the next vehicle.
When road conditions degrade, you need to increase your following distance. In a downpour, your tires cannot stop your vehicle as quickly. You also react slower because the rain reduces visibility.
The fault for accidents caused by tailgating frequently (but not always) lies with the driver of the trailing vehicle. It’s important to note that many accidents have multiple causes. Just because you’re hit from behind doesn’t mean that you will always be free of liability.
Distracted Driving
Distracted driving slows your thinking, leading to a longer reaction time. This, in turn, increases your braking distance.
At 35 miles per hour, your car travels over 50 feet during a one-second distraction. Glancing at your phone can make the difference between braking safely and rear-ending the car in front of you.
While there’s always a possibility that there could be multiple causes of a crash, distracted driving accidents who rear-end another car are usually caused by the trailing driver.
Intoxicated Driving
Drugs and alcohol slow your reactions. They also impair your judgment. As a result, you have a higher likelihood of misjudging the speed or distance of the car in front of you. You will also react more slowly when it brakes.
Drivers under the influence of drugs or alcohol who are involved in a crash are often at fault.
Speeding
Speeding increases your braking distance. When you travel faster than the speed limit, you also increase your chances of coming upon a slower-moving car. If your speed contributes to the crash, you’ll be blamed.
Aggressive Driving
Aggressive driving makes you take risks. Tailgating or brake-checking might seem like a good way to release your anger. But these actions can injure or kill you and other road users.
Florida had 5,118 aggressive driving crashes in 2020. These collisions caused 101 deaths and 1,842 injuries.
Aggressive drivers can be held responsible when their angry habits cause an accident.
Improper Lane Change
You make an improper lane change when you move into another vehicle’s lane without leaving a safe distance between you and the trailing vehicle. By cutting off other drivers, you leave them without enough space to stop safely.
In this case, the fault most likely lies with the driver of the leading vehicle that cut off traffic.
Improper Backing
Rear-end collisions do not always happen in traffic. They can also happen in parking lots and driveways. When you reverse into traffic, failing to look out for other cars can put you in the path of an oncoming vehicle.
The fault for a rear-end collision resulting from improper backing up usually falls on the driver who was reversing. But the oncoming driver might share responsibility if they were speeding.
The Relevance of Fault
Florida uses a no-fault auto insurance system. In minor cases, fault does not matter. But if your medical bills exceed your auto policy’s limits or you suffer a permanent injury, you can sue the at-fault driver for damages.
Determining who caused the crash isn’t always easy. An experienced Tampa, FL car accident lawyer can help evaluate the circumstances of your case. They can protect you if you’re being blamed. And they can help you recover compensation if someone else was at fault.
Common Injuries From Rear-End Collisions
Rear-end accidents often cause injuries to the neck, back, and head, most of which are not visible in the moments after the crash. Whiplash is one of the most common injuries, which occurs when the violent jerking motion of a collision sends the neck-snapping forward and back. Unresolved, this condition can create chronic pain, immobility, and some other lasting complications.
Other common injuries from rear-end collisions are:
- Spinal Injuries: These can include herniated discs, fractures, or misalignments in the spine that cause severe pain and damage to the nerves.
- Traumatic Brain Injuries (TBI): Head injuries such as concussions are common, particularly if the airbag deploys or the victim hits their head against the steering wheel, window, or dashboard.
- Soft Tissue Damage: The muscles, ligaments, and tendons in your shoulders, arms, and torso are also at risk of being strained, sprained, or bruised from the sudden shock of impact.
- Face Injuries: Cuts, bruises, and fractures from hitting the dashboard, windshield, or airbags.
In Tampa, if you sustain a severe injury like TBIs and spinal trauma, you may have long recovery times. Getting evaluated by a medical professional as soon as possible is critical not only for treating injuries but also for establishing proper documentation that can lend credence to a potential personal injury claim.
Safety Tips to Avoid Rear-End Collisions
Avoiding rear-enders requires alertness, compliance with the law, and good driving habits. So, how can Tampa drivers minimize their risk? Here are some helpful tips:
- Keep a Safe Distance: Give yourself at least a three-second gap between your car and the one ahead. During bad weather or heavy traffic, increase this distance.
- No Distractions: Keep your eyes on the road by putting your phone away, not eating, and minimizing conversation while driving.
- Slow It Down: Always drive the speed limit or slower, and be especially cautious in Tampa neighborhoods where stoplights and crosswalks are common.
- Be Aware of the Flow of Traffic: Watch for brake lights in front of you and know you might have to stop, especially in heavy traffic on busy roads like Hillsborough Avenue during rush hour.
- Service Your Vehicle Regularly: Keep your brakes, tires, and lights working to avoid mechanical failures that could cause a crash.
The rate of rear-end collisions can be drastically reduced with determent driving and proactive measurement.
Contact Our Car Accident Law Firm in Tampa, FL
If you’ve been injured in an accident in Tampa, FL, and need legal help, contact our Tampa car accident lawyers at Catania & Catania Injury Lawyers to schedule a free consultation.
Catania & Catania Injury Lawyers
Bank of America Plaza
101 E Kennedy Blvd #2400
Tampa, FL 33602
(813) 222-8656
We also provide legal assistance throughout the Tampa Bay Area including Clearwater, St. Petersburg, Sarasota, and Bradenton.
