Car Accident Statistics
With the number of cars on the road increasing exponentially each year, the number of people who die as a result of a car accident increases as well. Car accident injuries and death leave victims and their families devastated, and many times, in debt for several years following a serious car incident.
Car Accident Trends
Annually, more than 6 million car accidents occur in the United States, with more than 3 million of those sustaining injuries and more than 2 million of these victims having permanent injuries.
Deaths Caused by Car Accidents
Deaths due to car accidents claim the lives of more than 40,000 people every year, with the good news being that this number has consistently decreased with each passing year as of late. Drunk driver auto accidents are responsible for around 40 percent of all fatal car accidents with folks driving above the posted speed limits accounting for 30 percent of car accident fatalities, and reckless drivers causing about 33 percent of those.
Those at Greater Risk of Being Injured
Drivers comprise the majority of people injured due to a car accident, with passengers being the second most often injured person, followed by pedestrians, and then motorcyclists. According to statistics, a person dies in a car accident every 12 minutes and someone is injured every 14 seconds. The leading cause of death for the age group of one to 30 years is a car accident, with people between 15 and 24 and those older than 75 being the most severely affected by a car accident injury.
Percentage of People Involved in Car Accidents Nationwide
The United States Department of Transportation’s (USDOT’s) National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) reports that 25 percent of all car drivers have been involved in a car accident in the past five years, with more than half of the fatalities resulting from these accidents being due to the driver not wearing a seat belt.
Others Causes of Car Accidents
Distracted drivers are another cause of car accidents, with people talking to their passengers and drivers manipulating their radio or CD players while driving being the major activities engaged in while driving that cause an accident. Other distractions include eating or drinking while driving, and another 25 percent of car accidents being the result of a driver talking on a cell phone while driving.
Being aware of the causes of car accidents and avoiding behaviors such as these can greatly reduce your chances of being in a car accident and being severely injured or killed. For more information on car accident lawsuits as well as slip and fall accidents, defective products / product liability lawsuits, drug recall lawsuits, wrongful death lawsuits, and motorcycle accident lawsuits, it is important to speak with our team of personal injury / auto accident attorneys in Kansas City, Missouri.