Here's the thing.. it's spatial awareness. If you can develop spatial awareness (an understanding of your situation and of the people around you), then 99/100 times you can avoid an accident instead of being wiped out by one.
This spatial awareness is something that is very important in multiplayer racing, but some drivers never seem to develop it. Those are the ones who get wrecked all the time and who never score points. Those, and also the ones whose reactions are so slow that they can't respond in time to avoid a wreck.. but they still ride the bumpers of others.