Official State of Rhode Island website

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State of Rhode Island Division of Motor Vehicles Department of Revenue

Common Causes of Collisions

Most collisions can be avoided. Be mindful of the most common causes of motor vehicle collisions:

  • Driver/human error
  • Speeding
  • Driving after drinking and/or ingesting drugs
  • Driving too fast for the road conditions – rain/snow/sleet/ice/construction
  • Inattentiveness due to wireless communication devices
  • Driving too close to the vehicle in front of you – tailgating.
  • Driving to the left of the centerline – wrong side of the road
  • Not looking when driving away from the curb
  • Not yielding the right-of-way
  • Vehicle malfunctions – defective vehicle
  • Roadways – construction/potholes/gravel/sand

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