Car wrecks occur nearly every twenty seconds causing, in some cases, unnecessary personal injuries due to the negligent driving of others. Each year, thousands of people are killed in motor vehicle accidents and millions are injured. In this age of cell phones, GPS navigation systems, and other distracting devices drivers use while driving, inattentive drivers are causing otherwise avoidable mishap.

Negligence is one of the primary causes of auto accidents. Negligent acts mean that the driver causing the accident did not exercise reasonable care. There are many areas in which negligence can occur but negligence is a failure to be careful rather than an act intended to cause harm. A person who is distracted and rear-ends another car at a red light is negligent. A driver may also be liable for a car collision due to his or her intentional or reckless conduct.

Intentional misconduct is an action committed when the person knew that doing so could cause harm and did not care, or actively desired to harm others. A driver who is reckless is one who drives unsafely, with "willful and wanton disregard" for the probability that such driving may cause an accident. A driver could be found reckless, for example, if he or she drives in a threatening or harassing manner out of "road rage" and causes an accident.

The law of strict liability could apply in some circumstances and neither negligence nor intent would need to be shown. One cause of auto accidents is product failure. The defects were not intentional but in law the manufacturer was responsible. A similar situation could exist if a repair to the car was done improperly and resulted in a crash. In some states, in the case of automobile accidents caused by drunk drivers, the business or host who supplied the alcohol and allowed the driver to drive in an intoxicated condition could be found to have a secondary liability.

Other causes of auto accidents are driving at excessive speeds, reckless driving, failing to stop at a red light, failing to stop at a stop sign, failing to yield and driving under the influence (DUI, DWI), defective roadway design, 18 wheeler accidents, defective products and motorcycle accidents.