Being in a car accident is frightening and can leave you injured. You aren’t the only one who may have suffered this type of crash. Nationally, the number of traffic deaths is up by 14 percent and in the first six months of 2015, they were up by a third, according to the National Safety Council.
Approximately 19,000 people were killed in vehicle accidents this year through June and that doesn’t include July and August. If this trend goes forward, you could possibly see the number exceed 40,000 for the first time since 2007. The trend started in the last three months of 2014 and has been continuing throughout this year.
The reasons listed are because the economy has improved and more people can afford cars; also, the price of gas has gone down and this also has encouraged people to get out on the road more often. These don’t make up the entire reason behind all the new traffic accidents and deaths but is concerning.
Some other factors that may come into play are the fact that speed limits are going up and cellphone usage has caused people to drive distracted. A full quarter of all accidents, including those that caused injury and damage, were due to cellphone usage.
If you have lost a loved one in a car accident, you know how heartbreaking it can be. Not only did you lose someone important to you, but so did other people. This was a person you loved and to have them killed this way is gut wrenching. It could have been avoided.
The leader of the National Safety Council said that it is more than disappointing to see these numbers going up. Driving in the U.S. has steadily increased for 15 months in a row. Americans drove around 1.26 trillion miles in the first five months of 2015. This is record breaking number.
Being aware of the statistics is one thing. Putting action to your words is another. Sometimes, the actions of others cause you to lose someone you love to a car accident. There is recourse for this and an experienced lawyer can provide more information.
Source: Tri-City Herald, “Traffic deaths up sharply in first 6 months of this year,” Joan Lowy, Associated Press, Aug. 17, 2015
