Report Shows Motor Vehicular Traffic Deaths Are On The Rise

Earlier this month The U.S. Department of Transportation’s National Highway Traffic Safety Administration(NHTSA) released its preliminary report on overall road safety in the country for 2015. Although the data has not been completely finalized, some of the numbers included in the report are alarming. Motor vehicle traffic deaths in 2015 grew by roughly 8 percent from 2014 totaling to an estimated 35,200 deaths. This reported increase signifies the largest annual growth of motor vehicular fatalities in the past 50 years.

In addition to the number of overall fatalities increasing, the preliminary report also stated that out of the ten major regions analyzed, all but one experienced increased vehicular fatalities. In regards to the different types of motor vehical fatalities, the particular category that experienced the largest growth was accidents involving a pedestrian or bicyclist.

During a press conference, U.S. Transportation Secretary Anthony Foxx offered further explanation and insight into to these numbers and explained what his agency is doing to combat this deadly trend. One of his department’s theories towards the increase in vehicular fatalities revolves around gas prices. During 2015 as a result of a growing economy, gas prices were relatively cheap. This affordability of fuel enabled more motorists to utilize their vehicles, resulting in more vehicles on the road, and in return more vehicular fatalities.

In addition to Foxx’s above comments on the report,  NHTSA administrator Mark Rosekind also had valuable insight to offer. Rosekind acknowledged that obviously having more cars on the road accounts for some of the increased fatalities but it is only part of the story. According to Rosekind, nintey-four percent of all vehicular accidents are directly related to human error or human choice. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration has acknowledge this statistic and is taking steps to improve the situation. One way NHTSA is trying to reduce motor vehicular fatalities is by improving car safety. Recent advancements in technology, have enabled cars to better protect those involved in crashes and also prevent the crash from occurring at all. Rosekind’s department noted that one of the more promising  advancements in automobile technology is automatic breaking. A car equipped with this feature can determine the presence of an oncoming object and aid the driver in decelerating and greatly decrease the likelihood of collision.

Call Our Bucks County and Philadelphia Law Firm Today for a Free Case Evaluation

With the summer coming to a close more and more families will be traveling with their loved ones on vacation and daily excursions. This increased activity and resulting traffic makes summer one of the most dangerous time to be on the roadways, unaffected by weather. If you or a loved one has been involved in a motor vehicle accident in Philadelphia, North East Philadelphia or Lower Bucks County it is of the utmost importance to seek legal counsel as you may be entitled to compensation. Our experienced attorneys have handled thousands of cases in cities such as Bensalem, Bristol, Buckingham, Croydon and Doylestown and are here to help. Reach out to the offices of Cohen & Riechelson today for your free consultation at (215) 337-4915.

For more information surrounding this topic, please reference: NHTSA data shows traffic deaths up 7.7 percent in 2015