In the last couple of months, we have touched on a lot of issues with road safety and car accidents. People can suffer horrible injuries as a result of car accidents. Drivers can fail to operate their vehicles in a safe manner, whether it be due to bad choices or distraction. And pedestrians and bicyclists are in particularly dangerous positions out on the road, simply because of their inherently unprotected nature.
But today, we want to review some information released by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration which conclusively shows that our roads are not becoming safer. They are, in fact, trending in the opposite direction. The roads are becoming more dangerous.
The report from the NHTSA reviews data from 2016, but also reveals just how bad 2015 was too. From 2014 to 2015, the number of fatalities in traffic accidents increased by 8.4 percent, and the figure jumped another 5.6 percent from 2015 to last year. What’s more is that many categories of fatal traffic accidents increased:
- Motorcycle accident fatalities jumped 5.1 percent and reached a total that is the highest since 2008.
- Pedestrian accident fatalities jumped 9 percent, reaching a total not seen since 1990.
- Biking fatalities (1.3 percent increase) and drunk driving fatalities (1.7 percent increase) were also highlighted in this report.
With increasing accidents and an increasing fatality rate, it is important now more than ever to be especially aware out on the road and to take care when you are behind the wheel of a vehicle.
Source: NHTSA, “2016 Fatal Motor Vehicle Crashes: Overview,” Accessed Oct. 26, 2017