NHTSA: Motor Vehicle Fatalities on the Rise in 2015

 Posted on December 00, 0000 in Personal Injury

There was positive news in 2014, which saw a decrease in traffic fatalities from the year before. Unfortunately, that is not a trend that appears to be taking place in 2015. Instead, national statistics are pointing to an increase in vehicle accident fatalities.

According to the National Highway Traffic and Safety Administration (NHTSA), the total number of traffic accident fatalities in 2014 was 32,675. However, the number of people killed in the first six months of 2015 was 8 percent higher than the number of fatalities for the first six months of 2014. The NHTSA uses data from its Fatal Analysis Reporting System (FARS).

The NHTSA says that the majority of these fatal accidents are preventable and are caused by drivers’ deadly behaviors, such as speeding and distracted driving. For example, data from 2014 fatalities reveal that:

• Alcohol-related crashes were involved one-third of all fatal crashes, responsible for the deaths of just under 10,000 victims;
• Distracted driving was involved in 10 percent of all fatal crashes, responsible for the deaths of approximately 3,100 victims;
• Drowsy driving was involved in just under three percent of all crashes, responsible for the deaths of almost 850 victims;
• Forty-nine percent of people killed in passenger vehicle crashes were not wearing seat belts; and
• States without motorcycle helmet laws had much higher rates of motorcyclists killed than states which do require helmets on all riders.

The agency plans on holding meetings across the country to collect ideas and input on topics such as distracted, drugged, drunk, and drowsy driving; failure of drivers to use seat belts, child seats, and other safety features; and speeding. Initiatives that would protect pedestrians and cyclists will also be discussed. All the information gathered at these meeting will then be presented at a meeting to be held in Washington, D.C. sometime next year.

Prior studies by the NHTSA has shown that during this time of the year, the three days leading up to Christmas are the deadliest for drunk driving crashes. If you have lost a loved one in a car crash, contact an experienced Orland Park wrongful death attorney to find out what legal recourse you may have against the driver for your family’s pain and loss.

Sources:

http://www.nhtsa.gov/About+NHTSA/Press+Releases/2015/2014-traffic-deaths-drop-but-2015-trending-higher

http://www-nrd.nhtsa.dot.gov/Pubs/809855.PDF