Types of Car Accidents

Nearly one in every three collisions is a rear-end crash—when one vehicle strikes another vehicle from behind. Usually, this is because the driver in the rear is following too closely or driving while distracted.

Although rear-end collisions are not the most dangerous kind of accident, they do cause injuries in about one in four cases. The classic rear-end-crash injury is whiplash, which results from the head snapping back and forth like a whip.

In car accident cases, the at-fault driver is liable (or responsible) for property damage and injuries resulting from the accident. In the vast majority of rear-end crashes, the driver that struck the lead car is at fault. But in rare cases, the lead driver may be partially to blame—for example,  if they brake suddenly for no reason or pull out in front of another car, not giving the other driver time to adjust.

Angle or side-impact collisions involve one car hitting the side of another car. This type of crash is frequently caused by a driver running a stop sign or red light. Another common cause is a driver turning in front of an oncoming car.

The sides of a car don’t protect vehicle occupants as much as the front and rear ends, so side-impact crashes are dangerous. They cause injuries in more than one out of every three cases.

Regardless of who hit who, a driver who violated a traffic regulation (e.g., by running a red light) is most likely at fault in angle collisions. When an angle crash is due to a left turn that doesn’t give an oncoming driver enough time to react, it can be trickier to establish who’s at fault.

Collisions with fixed objects involve a single vehicle striking an immovable object. NHTSA tracks fixed-object collisions in the following categories:

• Culvert, curb, or ditch
• Pole or post
• Tree
• Guard rail
• Embankment
• Bridge

Common causes include distracted driving, driving under the influence of alcohol or drugs (DUI), driving while drowsy, or speeding. About 30% of all collisions with fixed objects result in injuries. Because fixed-object crashes only involve one driver, there isn’t typically another party to take the blame.

In 2021, about 14% of car accidents involved sideswipe collisions—when two cars are traveling more or less parallel to one another and crash into each other. This type of collision is usually caused by a driver merging or changing lanes without looking behind them or checking their blind spot.

Of the seven most common crash types, sideswipes are the least likely to cause injuries. However, more injuries may result if drivers overreact to the initial collision by swerving and lose control of their vehicles.

A driver who merges or changes lanes without looking is likely to be liable for this type of motor vehicle crash.

Like collisions with fixed objects, collisions with objects that are not fixed involve just one vehicle—unless a driver plows into a parked car. These crashes involve a car running into something that is not immovable. The NHTSA tracks collisions with objects that are not fixed in the following categories:

• Parked vehicles
• Animals
• Pedestrians
• Bicyclists
• Trains

Hitting a parked car or an animal (e.g., a deer) are by far the most common types of collisions with objects that are not fixed.

This type of vehicle accident often results from distracted driving, DUI, drowsy driving, or speeding. Any of these driving behaviors makes a driver at least partially liable for a crash. However, if a person, bicyclist, or animal runs or steps out in front of a moving vehicle, the crash may not be the driver’s fault at all.

A head-on collision is when the front ends of two cars collide as they’re moving toward one another. Although this type of vehicle accident is relatively uncommon, it frequently causes serious injuries because the two cars moving toward each other amplifies the effect of the collision.

Head-on crashes may involve a driver who travels the wrong way on a one-way street or loses control and crosses into oncoming traffic. A driver who makes such errors is usually liable for the resulting property damage and injuries.

A rollover is when a car turns over one or more times and ends up on its side or roof. Technically, a rollover is not a collision, because it doesn’t involve a car hitting another object. However, this type of vehicle crash is extremely dangerous—more likely to result in injuries or fatalities than any other type of accident.

Rollovers are often caused by a car going over the shoulder of the road. Taller vehicles like minivans, SUVs, and trucks roll over more often than sedans, because they carry more weight higher up (a higher center of gravity).

In this type of accident, the driver is most likely at fault if they are dozing at the wheel, speeding, distracted, or driving under the influence. But if a driver is forced off the road by another driver, they’re likely not to blame.