A slew of accidents in a half-hour span on the same road shows just how important it is to slow down and pay attention, particularly when traffic gets snarled.

Four car accidents on Interstate 10 created a headache for morning commuters on Friday. According to NorthEscambia.com, the first accident occurred at about 7:30 a.m. near the Pine Forest Road exit.

In that crash, a 51-year-old driver, who was transporting an 8-year-old passenger, was stopped for traffic. At the same time, another driver, a 37-year-old man from Pensacola, apparently locked his brakes, swerved into the outside lane and then crashed into the vehicle. The man and his young passenger were taken to Sacred Heart Hospital via ambulance for injuries.

The second crash happened only moments later when a driver was forced to swerve into the median to avoid traffic. He then collided with a Jeep that was already in the median. Luckily, neither driver was hurt in that incident, although one of them was cited for careless driving.

The next two accidents, occurring at approximately 8:02 a.m. and 8:09 a.m., respectively, also involved rear-end collisions. One driver was transported to Sacred Heart Hospital for treatment of minor injuries. Careless driving was also cited in these crashes.

While none of these accidents turned out to be deadly, they could have been more serious. It's important for drivers to slow down and pay attention during rush hour, when the roads are clogged with cars.

Source: NorthEscambia.com, "Multiple accidents create morning problems on I-10," Jan. 20, 2012