The National Safety Council has revealed some data about car accidents in the first half of 2015, and the results are dismaying. According to the NSC, drivers have traveled a little bit more in the first half of the year. In 2007, the previous high for miles traveled in first half of the year, drivers logged 1.23 trillion miles. This year, it was up to 1.26 trillion miles. That’s a pretty modest increase from the previous high, and it isn’t too far from other previous years (roughly a 3.4 percent increase, according to the source article).
But here’s the dismaying part: despite this modest increase in miles traveled by drivers, the number of fatalities and injuries involved in road accidents in the first half of the year have jumped dramatically.
Road related deaths increased by 14 percent in the first half of 2015 and road related injuries skyrocketed by one-third. Even though there was some good news from the report (such as a drop in teen fatalities, an increase in seat belt use, and a 20 percent decline in drunk driving accidents), it still shows that the first half of 2015 has given us tremendous incentive to improve the safety of our roads.
Improving something such as traffic safety takes a long time, though. We won’t be able to wake up tomorrow and see a dramatically safer world. So for those who have been injured or affected by a car accident, holding the negligent or at-fault party responsible for their actions is often the best course of action.
Source: Tucson News Now, “Traffic deaths are up across U.S., according to a new study,” Sasha Loftis, Aug. 17, 2015
