Crashes between two motor vehicles can occur for many different reasons in a wide variety of environments. Someone backing out of a parking spot could collide with another driver waiting for that spot. A driver at an intersection could end up struck by another motorist who doesn’t stop like they should.
A variety of different factors, including the types of vehicles involved, can influence the severity of a collision. The type of crash that occurs is also an important consideration. The way in which the two vehicles make contact influences the amount of damage to the vehicle and the risk to the people inside. According to federal collision statistics, one particular type of collision is more likely than many others to cause fatal injuries.
Side impact crashes are the most dangerous
If most people had to answer the question of what type of crash is the most dangerous, they might well give the wrong answer. People often think of head-on collisions as the riskiest type of crash possible. However, despite that misconception, they are only the second deadliest type of collision, at least according to data from 2022.
According to data from the National Safety Council (NSC), angle collisions or side-impact crashes accounted for almost 45% of all deadly wrecks in 2022. Head-on collisions, which people often think of as the deadliest, caused almost 30% of traffic fatalities. Rear-end collisions were responsible for more than 17% of traffic deaths, while sideswipes and all other crash types caused about 8% of reported traffic deaths.
Side-impact crashes are dangerous for many reasons. Factors including a lack of ability to respond to the impending crash and a lack of adequate vehicle safety systems for side impacts contribute to how deadly these wrecks can be. Some manufacturers add side-impact airbags to vehicles, but standard vehicle safety rules do not require them. Testing that focuses on head-on collisions only exacerbates the lack of design features for side-impact safety.
Those who understand what types of motor vehicle crashes put them at the most risk can adjust their traffic habits accordingly. Giving up the right of way and being very cautious when pleading left turns are among the traffic safety habits that could protect someone from the greatest likelihood of being involved in a side-impact collision.