The Top Causes for Car Accidents in Kansas City

Michael Foster

Thousands of car accidents occur in the Kansas City area every year. Many are the result of preventable driver behaviors, such as distracted driving, speeding, impaired driving, and other reckless behaviors.

If you’ve been in a crash, understanding the top causes for car accidents in Kansas City can help you understand your legal options.

At Foster Wallace Personal Injury Lawyers, we’ve helped accident victims throughout Kansas City pursue compensation after crashes caused by negligent drivers. Below, we’ll cover the top 10 causes for car accidents and how they impact your personal injury claim.

The 10 Most Common Causes of Car Accidents

Several types of car accidents are eligible for a personal injury claim. While every crash is unique, the top 10 causes for car accidents in Kansas City include:

1. Distracted Driving

According to the NHTSA, distracted driving is one of the leading car accident causes in the United States. Texting, checking GPS directions, eating, or adjusting in-car controls can take a driver’s attention off the road long enough to cause a serious crash.

Missouri law prohibits drivers from using handheld electronic devices while driving. If a distracted driver caused your accident, evidence such as cell phone records, witness statements, or dashcam footage helps prove negligence.

2. Speeding

Speeding reduces a driver’s ability to react to changing traffic conditions and increases the force of impact during a collision. It causes thousands of fatal crashes each year, especially on busy Kansas City highways like I-70 and I-435. Driving above the speed limit or too fast for road conditions can be strong evidence of negligence.

3. Drunk or Impaired Driving

Alcohol, illegal drugs, and certain prescription medications can impair judgment, coordination, and reaction time. Missouri’s legal blood alcohol concentration (BAC) limit is 0.08% for most drivers, but impairment can occur well before then. Crashes caused by impaired drivers may be eligible for punitive damages and compensation for medical bills, lost wages, and other losses.

4. Running Red Lights and Stop Signs

Ignoring traffic signals or failing to stop at intersections is one of the most common car accident causes in Kansas City. These crashes frequently occur because a driver is distracted, speeding, or attempting to beat a yellow light. They often result in dangerous T-bone and side-impact collisions.

5. Aggressive Driving and Road Rage

Aggressive driving includes behaviors such as excessive speeding, unsafe passing, tailgating, weaving through traffic, and refusing to yield. These reckless actions significantly increase the risk of causing a serious accident.

6. Fatigued Driving

Driving while tired can slow reaction time, reduce awareness, and impair decision-making. Fatigued drivers may drift between lanes, miss traffic signals, or even fall asleep behind the wheel, increasing the risk of fatal crashes.

7. Weather and Road Conditions

Rain, snow, ice, fog, and poor road conditions are also common causes of car accidents in Kansas City. Although the weather itself isn’t negligent, drivers are responsible for adjusting their speed and driving carefully when conditions become hazardous.

8. Failure to Yield

Failure-to-yield accidents commonly occur at intersections, while merging, or when making left turns. Drivers who ignore another vehicle’s right-of-way often leave little time to avoid a collision, making this one of the top causes for car accidents.

9. Blind Spot Errors and Unsafe Lane Changes

Changing lanes without checking blind spots or using turn signals can lead to sideswipe accidents and multi-vehicle crashes. Many of these collisions are preventable with proper mirror checks and signaling.

10. Tailgating (Following Too Closely)

Following another vehicle too closely leaves little room to stop if traffic suddenly slows. Rear-end collisions caused by tailgating are among the most common car accident causes, often resulting in whiplash, back injuries, and other preventable injuries. Drivers should always maintain a safe following distance based on traffic and road conditions.

Why the Cause of Your Accident Matters Legally

Understanding the top causes for car accidents helps you know who is legally responsible for your injuries. In both Missouri and Kansas, the cause of the crash plays a key role in establishing fault, gathering evidence, and calculating compensation.

How Negligence Is Established in Missouri and Kansas

Every driver has a duty to operate their vehicle safely and follow traffic laws. If a driver speeds, runs a red light, drives while distracted, or engages in another unsafe behavior, they’ve breached that duty of care.

To recover compensation after a car accident, your attorney generally must show four elements:

• Duty: The other driver had a responsibility to drive safely.
• Breach: They failed to meet that responsibility through careless or reckless actions.
• Causation: Their actions directly caused the accident.
• Damages: You suffered injuries or financial losses as a result.

How Fault Affects Your Compensation

• Missouri follows a pure comparative fault system, meaning you may still recover compensation even if you were partially responsible for the crash. However, your recovery is reduced by your percentage of fault.
• Kansas follows a modified comparative fault system, meaning you can generally recover damages if you were less than 50% at fault.

Evidence That Proves the Cause

Valuable evidence to prove common car accident causes includes:

• Police accident reports
• Photos and videos from the scene
• Dashcam footage
• Cell phone records in distracted driving cases
• Toxicology reports in impaired driving crashes
• Witness statements
• Vehicle damage and accident reconstruction evidence

Kansas City–Specific Crash Trends to Know

Kansas City drivers face increased risks from heavy commuter traffic, busy highways, and changing weather conditions. Here are a few local crash trends to keep in mind:

• Major highways see the most crashes: I-70, I-35, I-435, and U.S. 71 experience high traffic volumes, making rear-end, merging, and lane-change collisions more common.
• Rush hour and bad weather increase risks: Morning and evening commutes, weekend nights, and winter weather often lead to more accidents.
• Driver negligence is the most significant factor: Speeding, distracted driving, following too closely, and failing to yield remain the top causes for car accidents in the city.

What to Do After a Car Accident in Kansas City

Knowing what to do after a crash can help protect both your health and your legal rights. Here’s what to do after a car accident in Kansas City:

1. Call 911 and report the accident, especially if anyone is injured or the vehicles cannot be moved safely.
2. Seek medical attention as soon as possible, even if your injuries seem minor. Some conditions, such as whiplash, may not show symptoms immediately.
3. Document the scene by taking photos of the vehicles, road conditions, traffic signs, and any visible injuries.
4. Exchange information with the other driver and collect contact information from any witnesses.
5. Avoid discussing fault at the scene. Let the investigation determine what happened.
6. Contact a Kansas City car accident attorney to understand your rights and preserve critical evidence.

Injured in a Car Accident? Foster Wallace Personal Injury Lawyers Can Help

Not every car accident requires legal action, but if someone else’s negligence caused your injuries, it’s important to understand your rights.

At Foster Wallace Personal Injury Lawyers, we understand the top causes of car accidents in Kansas City and will build a strong case on your behalf. Our attorneys will evaluate your claim, explain your legal options, and handle the insurance process so you can focus on recovery.

Contact our team for a free consultation.