Fatal Auto Crashes Up Nearly 8% in 2015
Deadly traffic crashes surged about 7.7 percent in 2015, when compared to 2014, according to the latest findings from officials at the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA). Specifically, authorities have reported that about 35,200 people in the U.S. were killed in fatal auto accidents in 2015 while roughly 32,680 traffic-related deaths were recorded in 2014.
This remarkable increase has triggered renewed efforts to combat some of the leading causes of car accidents – particularly, the driver behaviors that commonly contribute to crashes, such as drunk driving, distracted driving, and failures to comply with traffic laws.
Fatal Car Accidents in 2015: More NHTSA Findings
In analyzing the traffic data for deadly crashes in 2015, authorities have discovered that:
- Nearly every state in the nation experienced a spike in traffic deaths in 2015, with only a handful of states seeing a slight drop – Specifically, the only states to see a drop in traffic fatalities (of about 1 percent) were New Mexico, Texas, Oklahoma, Louisiana and Mississippi.
- The highest jumps in traffic deaths in 2015 were for non-motorists, including pedestrians and bicycle riders.
- In terms of motorist deaths, fatal crashes involving drivers 20 and younger climbed by about 10 percent in 2015.
- 2015 marked the 5th consecutive year during which the U.S. saw increases in fatal motor vehicle crashes.
- Over the past decade, traffic fatalities peaked in 2008, when more than 37,400 people were killed in deadly auto accidents.
Explaining regulators’ reactions to these findings, U.S. Transportation Secretary Anthony Foxx has noted that:
[Federal transportation safety officials] are analyzing the data to determine what factors contributed to the increase in fatalities and at the same time, we are aggressively testing new safety technologies, new ways to improve driver behavior, and new ways to analyze the data we have, as we work with the entire road safety community to take this challenge head-on.
NHTSA Administrator Dr. Mark Rosekind similarly explained that:
Ninety-four percent of crashes can be tied back to a human choice or error, so we know we need to focus our efforts on improving human behavior while promoting vehicle technology that not only protects people in crashes, but helps prevent crashes in the first place.
It remains to be seen if regulators efforts to reverse this troubling trend will be successful in 2016 and beyond. As additional findings about fatal traffic accident trends in the U.S. become available, we’ll report the latest discoveries to you here, in a future blog.
Until then, share your opinions about these findings with us on Facebook & Google+.
Contact a Cleveland Car Accident Lawyer at the Piscitelli Law Firm
If you have been injured in a traffic crash – or if your loved one has died in a fatal wreck, contact a Cleveland car accident lawyer at the Piscitelli Law Firm to find out more about your rights to compensation and justice.
For more than two decades, Cleveland Lawyer Frank Piscitelli and the other legal professionals at the Piscitelli Law Firm have been standing up for injured people’s rights and working diligently to hold negligent parties responsible for their clients’ injuries and losses. We are dedicated to helping each of our clients get the justice they need and the financial recoveries they deserve.
Learn more about your rights and find out how we can help you by calling (800) 931-7071 or submit your case details now. If you choose to move forward with us, you will not have to pay any legal fees until or unless you obtain a settlement in your case.