As more people become drivers and there are more cars on the road, one would imagine that drivers would become more aware of the dangers on the highway. When you drive a vehicle, whether it’s a small passenger car or a huge truck, you must pay attention to the way you drive but also ensure you and everyone around you is safe.
Despite the increase in people who own cars, the rate of accidents still stays high. Every year, thousands of people are injured or die in car accidents in the United States. Are people getting more careless on the road today?
More People Die in Car Crashes Every Year
Even though vehicles for sale in the United States include advanced technology and are safer than they’ve ever been, the rate of fatalities is very high.
Back in 2021, around 42,915 individuals passed away in motor vehicle car accidents. This was a huge jump from the number of fatalities in 2020 when the U.S. had 38,824 deaths from car crashes. In just one year, fatalities increased by 10.5%. This was the highest rate since 2005.
Statistics show that car crash deaths have increased a lot over the years. In fact, they went up by 18% compared to 2019.
According to experts, this change occurred due to more truck and SUV sales, distracted driving, reckless driving, higher vehicle performance, and other aspects. One of the most common reasons for distracted driving is phone use, which is not surprising considering that nearly everyone owns a smartphone nowadays.
According to Center for Auto Safety acting executive director Michael Brooks, the American car culture is quite conflicting. Everyone is interested in very large and flashy cars, and they want to feel free while roaming the roads. However, this leads to more car accidents and more people killed on the road.
The increased number of deaths may also come as a result of the coronavirus pandemic. This is because reckless driving became more common during the lockdown.
In New York state alone, over 1,000 people ended up dying in car accidents in 2020, which is an increase from the 938 deaths from the previous year.
Sgt. Blake White, a Colorado State Patrol spokesperson, said that this tendency to indulge in reckless driving comes from the travel restrictions in place at the time. People were told to stay indoors for as long as possible and not travel unless they need to. But many drivers thought these restrictions meant that traffic laws are no longer in place due to fewer cars being on the road.
Then, following a period of emptier roads, drivers had to adjust to being around other vehicles on busy roads once again. Obviously, this led to more road rage.
People Enjoy Speed
Statistics show that too many people are fans of speed during their car journeys.
Back in 2018, speeding was behind 18% of car driver deaths, as well as 31% of motorcyclist deaths. Besides, 50% of the annual car accidents in the U.S. are caused by drivers who got too aggressive, which usually involved speeding.
Actually, 31% of teen driver deaths in the U.S. were caused by the speed in 2018, according to the NHTSA. Also, drivers between the ages of 15 and 20 represented the largest number of speed-related deadly car crashes in 2016.
In 2016, 10,111 individuals died in car crashes caused by speeding.
General Accident Statistics
In one-third of all car accidents on the road, tailgating is one of the aspects that led to the incidents.
Most passenger car crash deaths in 2019 occurred due to speeding, careless driving, impairment, inability to yield the right-of-way, and inattention/distraction. But out of almost 6 million motor vehicle accidents that happen yearly in the U.S., around 22% are caused by weather conditions.
Every year, about 2 million drivers who get into car crashes deal with permanent injuries.
Back in 2019, no less than 6,756,000 motor vehicle crashes were reported to the police. 1,916,000 of them involved injury, whereas 33,244 involved fatalities.
There are around 10 million or more car accidents that go unreported annually.
Final Thoughts
Car crashes seem to happen more and more, despite people being aware of the dangers.
If you are ever involved in a car crash, you must act as quickly as possible because of the statute of limitations. This varies depending on each state. For example, in Georgia, the statute of limitations for car accidents is two years. If you did not cause the crash or contribute to it in any way and you want to claim compensation, you should hire a Stonecrest car accident lawyer or another lawyer in your area.
