2016 ESTIMATED TO BE DEADLIEST YEAR ON U.S. ROADWAYS IN NINE YEARS

Approximately 40,000 people were killed in car accidents last year, six percent more than 2015, according to early estimates from.

Wrecked Car Accident

Approximately 40,000 people were killed in car accidents last year, six percent more than 2015, according to early estimates from the National Safety Council (NSC). This means last year was the deadliest year for traffic deaths since 2007.

The 2016 estimate also represents a 14 percent increase over 2014, the biggest increase in a two-year period in 53 years.

Traffic deaths had been decreasing for several years, reaching the lowest point in a decade in 2014. Unfortunately, that is when deaths began moving in the other direction, increasing by seven percent from 2014 to 2015.

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) has not released estimates on traffic deaths in 2016. However, the NHTSA’s estimates are likely to be lower than the NSC’s because the NHTSA does not count deaths in parking lots and driveways or deaths that happen up to one year after the accident.

Risky driving behaviors could be one of the main factors in the increase in traffic fatalities, according to the NSC.

In an NSC survey, 83 percent of drivers say safe driving is a concern, but many of them say they are comfortable engaging in the following dangerous driving behaviors:

  • Driving under the influence of marijuana (13 percent)
  • Driving under the influence of alcohol (10 percent)
  • Speeding (64 percent)
  • Texting with their hands or voice control (47 percent)

 

Younger drivers are at the highest risk of dying in a traffic accident, according to the NHTSA. Teenage drivers get into automobile accidents at a rate three times higher than drivers over age 20.

Of drivers ages 15 to 19 who were involved in fatal accidents, 10 percent were distracted.

Have you lost a loved one in a motor vehicle accident caused by another driver’s negligence? Your family may be entitled to compensation for funeral expenses, pain and suffering, and other damages.

A Savannah car accident lawyer at The Nye Law Group will work to guide your family through the legal process during this trying time. We want to help you recover the compensation you need to attempt to move forward with your life.

Call 855-856-4212 or complete our Free Case Evaluation form now.

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