Which of the following commonly causes traffic accidents?
- Inattentive driving
- Excessive speed under the driving conditions
- Following other vehicles too closely
- All of the above ✓
Answer: D. All of the above
All of the above — inattentive driving, excessive speed for the conditions, and following other vehicles too closely are all common causes of traffic accidents.
Why this is the answer
The manual's defensive driving chapter says four of every 10 crashes are rear-end collisions, usually because a driver follows too closely. It also ties aggressive driving to speeding and says speeding often leads to following too closely. So both tailgating and driving too fast for the conditions are connected to crashes in the handbook. Inattentive driving itself is not named in these passages, but because the manual confirms the other two causes, the choice that includes all three is the right one.
Why the other answers are wrong
- A. Inattentive driving — Picking only inattentive driving leaves out the two causes the manual does name — following too closely and speeding under the conditions.
- B. Excessive speed under the driving conditions — Excessive speed is only one of the causes listed; the manual also points to tailgating and the question includes a third cause as well.
- C. Following other vehicles too closely — Following too closely explains many rear-end crashes, but it is just one cause and does not cover speed or inattention.
Remember it
When a choice bundles several causes the manual keeps repeating, take the bundle instead of hunting for the single "best" one.