Personal Injury Law

Annual Fatal Car Crashes Nationwide Decrease For Fourth Straight Year

By Mark Siesel, Esq.

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) has reported that fatal car crashes have decreased for a fourth straight year since the statistical high in 2005. There were 33,963 motor vehicle fatalities in 2009, a decline of 8.9% from 2008 when there were 37,261 fatalities. The difference between 2008 and 2007 was even more dramatic, with 41,259 wrongful death accidents in 2007 reduced by 10.5 % in 2008. From 2005 to 2009, traffic fatalities dropped significantly, by approximately 22%. This is certainly attributable in part to the inclusion of driver and passenger side air bags in most vehicles as well as increased seat belt usage.

According to the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA), vehicle miles increased by approximately 6.6 billion miles form 2008 to 2009, representing a 0.2 % increase. The fatality rate in 2009 was the lowest ever recorded, from 1.25 fatalities per million vehicle miles traveled (VMT) in 2008 to 1.16 fatalities VMT in 2009.

Full post as published by New York Legal Blog on March 29, 2010 (boomark / email).