With all the safety features on new cars, the new laws passed every year, and the fact that we know more about how to drive safely than we did a decade ago, it would seem that driving on California roads should be getting safer. Unfortunately, the opposite is true. We’ve discussed this issue on this blog several times but a new study out by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) once again shows us why it’s important to keep having these conversations.
Read on to learn more about the latest data. If you’ve been injured in a car accident then you can also reach out Law Offices of Fernando D. Vargas for help. We’ll start off with a free legal consultation and will let you know what your options are.
There are many reasons to think that the roads should be getting safer
As we covered above, there are a host of reasons that it would seem to reason that our roads would be getting safer. Cars not only have better safety equipment but they have better equipment overall. People today have more access to driver’s ED classes and the fact that nearly every household owns a car means that even teens get many chances to practice before getting out on the road.
Then you add the component of technology, which essentially gets rid of blind spots via cameras, includes features that will actually stop a vehicle if it’s about to collide, and that have the most advanced safety features imaginable. With all of that, it would seem that not only would car accidents as a whole be on the decline, but traffic deaths would be declining even further.
The latest data is not good news
The NHTSA is releasing data collected in 2016. It shows that just about every single category of traffic deaths rose in 2016 compared to 2015. In total, 37,461 people were killed in traffic accidents, which is a rise of about 5.6% from the previous year. From 2014 to 2015, the percentage increase was more than 8%. These numbers just keep going up year after year.
Motorcycle deaths are also on the rise. In 2016 they were more than 5% higher than in 2015. This means that there were more motorcycle deaths in 2016 than there have been in any year since 2008. Pedestrian deaths are up too – 9% in 2016 compared to 2015. This is the biggest jump of pedestrian fatalities for 17 years. Biking deaths went up 1.3% and drunk driving deaths went up nearly 2%. No matter how you look at it, the news isn’t good.
Protect yourself and be ready to take action
The best way to ensure you don’t become a statistic is to be careful on the roads. That said, nothing you do can make you 100% safe. That’s why it’s important to know who to call and what to do if you or a loved one is injured in a car accident. Law Offices of Fernando D. Vargas is always here to help. Call us at 909-982-0707 for your free legal consultation.
