Traffic Fatalities Spike Not Just in Illinois, but Nationwide

 Posted on December 00, 0000 in Car Accidents

Every year, the federal government, through the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), tracks the number of fatalities that happen in traffic-related incidents on the road of the United States. Last month, the NHTSA released its findings for the past year. What they found was that, over the course of 2015, no fewer than 35,092 people died on the roads of America in car crashes or similar events.

Traffic Fatalities Spiked, Nationwide, in 2015

Taken alone, saying that 35,092 people died on the roads in 2015 is meaningless. Without context, it does not communicate why this number is so worrisome.

The number of people who died in traffic-related accidents in 2015 was a 7.2 percent increase from the total fatalities in 2014. This represents the largest percentage increase in traffic-related deaths since 1966 and breaks a trend that has developed over the past few years towards safer roads and fewer annual deaths.

Another way to appreciate how many people died on the road last year is to take it from a yearly calculation, and put it into a daily and hourly basis: 35,092 people dying in car crashes every year equals nearly 100 people every day, or slightly more than four per hour, or one every 15 minutes.

Accident Data Shows That 2016 Might Be Even Worse

Not only does the NHTSA collect statistics on the safety of the roads in the U.S., another federal agency, the National Safety Council (NSC), also keeps track of how many people die in traffic-related accidents in America. The NSC, however, manages to keep its database more up to date than the NHTSA and is able to report figures through June 2016.

These numbers are even more bothersome than the NHTSA’s. According to the NSC’s figures, even though 2015 was significantly more deadly than prior years, 2016 will easily outpace the number of road fatalities of 2015. While 17,530 people had died before the beginning of July in 2015, that number is already at 19,100 for the year 2016. This is a 9 percent increase over last year, suggesting that we could be in for a year that ends up being even more deadly on the roads than last year.

Our Personal Injury Attorneys Can Help

If you or someone that you love has been injured a car accident, you need an experienced Lake County personal injury attorney who can represent you both in and out of court. Getting you the compensation that you need to recover and deserve for the pain and suffering that you have been through is not always easy, even if you are insured and not at fault for the accident. Contact the personal injury and car accident attorneys at Salvi & Maher, LLP online.

Sources:

https://www.transportation.gov/fastlane/2015-traffic-fatalities-data-has-just-been-released-call-action-download-and-analyze

http://www.nsc.org/NewsDocuments/2016/mv-fatality-report-1215.pdf