Car accident increase from 2014 to 2015 was largest in 50 years
A batch of data from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration paints an unsettling picture for road safety, especially in relation to car accidents. According to the 2015 data, 35,092 people died in motor vehicle accidents. That represents a 7.2 percent increase in that statistic when compared to 2014. It also means that roughly 96 people died every day as a result of car accidents, with another 6,700 suffering injuries every day as a result of these wrecks.
But it unfortunately gets worse. That 7.2 percent increase is the greatest year-over-year increase in the car accident fatality statistic in nearly 50 years. And if you look at the data from 2014, car accidents were actually the leading cause of death for people aged 16 to 24, as well as for children aged 11.
There is a clear indication here that road safety is not where it should be. Things are getting worse, and it likely doesn’t help that as we get more and more connected to our cellphones, it is more and more likely that we will use them inappropriately. Such as, say, while we are driving our cars.
Distracted driving certainly could be a big factor in the rise in car accidents. But negligence has always been a problem out on the road. This isn’t excusing distracted driving — but it is a recognition that the victims of a car accident need to consider the legal position after a car crash.
Source: iii.org, “Auto Crashes,” Accessed Aug. 2, 2017