How do we curb the rise of car accident fatalities?

It goes without saying that car accidents are dangerous. But what doesn’t go without saying, at least until you hear a recent report from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, is that the car accident rate is getting worse. Most people would just naturally assume with the improvements to car safety systems and the soon-to-be-realized dream of self-driving cars out on the road that the car accident rate is improving.

Unfortunately, the NHTSA’s data on the 2015 year doesn’t paint a pretty picture. In fact, it shows us that we should all have some very real concerns about where road safety is heading right now.

According to the NHTSA, 35,092 people died in car accidents in 2015. Compared to 2014, that’s an increase of 7.2 percent. You may think that such an increase isn’t that significant. However, the 7.2 percent increase in car accident deaths is the largest in nearly five decades. Car accidents were also the leading cause of death for many young people – specifically those aged 11 and 16-24.

So what does all of this data tell us? Where do we go from here?

It is a call to action for all drivers out there. We need to be particularly aware of everyone else out on the road, and we need to practice safe driving behaviors. We also need to be aware of our legal standing after a car accident. If negligence was involved in a crash, holding that negligent person responsible is imperative.

Source: iii.org, “Auto Crashes,” Accessed Aug. 4, 2017