Car crashes a leading killer, but death rates are in decline
Vehicle collisions kill more Americans between the ages of 5 and 34 years old than any other cause, but fortunately the number of fatal auto accidents has been progressively dropping in recent years, according to statistics provided by the American Automobile Association. Even so, an estimated 30,000 people are killed in collisions in the United States each year and another 2 million people sustain injuries severe enough to require emergency medical treatment. According to AAA statistics, these collisions cost American society as a whole nearly $300 billion each year. The vehicle safety association’s official stance is that these numbers could be effectively reduced if more funding and effort went into compiling highway collision statistics. The results of a recent research study conducted by the University of Michigan Transportation Research Institute indicate that automobile collisions cost the state of Michigan more than $9 billion in 2009, more than the cost of all categories of criminal activity combined.
A combined effort between the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration and state law enforcement offices, departments of transportation and traffic safety officials seeks to reduce these statistics by designing safety improvement plans and policies emphasizing the “Four E’s” of highway safety: Education, Engineering, Emergency Medical Services and Enforcement.
As a personal injury lawyer in Sacramento, I hope the roads continue to become safer for everyone. If you or someone you care about has been injured in a traffic collision, please consider contacting a Sacramento auto accident attorney.
