Automobile Accident Statistics and Injury Prevention

Between the years of 2000 and 2005 there were over 6 million auto accidents in the United States. In each of those years approximately 2.9 million people were injured and over 42,000 people were killed. About 115 people are killed every day in vehicle crashes in the United States. In 2007 there were approximately 300 million people in the United States. Of the people killed in automobile accidents in 2007 approximately 20% were passengers. In 2007 approximately 5,000 people were killed in motorcycle accidents. Also, in 2007 approximately 4,600 pedestrians were killed in accidents involving motor vehicles. There were 255 million vehicles registered and approximately 200 million licensed drivers.

The motorists advocacy group AAA reports that accidents cost $162 billion each year. The cost of auto accidents to each American is more than $1,000 a year. Also, according to AAA car accidents involving drivers 15 to 17 years of age cost society more than 34 billion in medical expenses, property damage and related costs in the year 2006. 15-18 year old drivers were involved in 974,000 crashes that injured 406,427 people and killed 2,541. According to the Center for Disease Control motor vehicle crashes are the leading cause of death among U.S. teens, accounting for 36% of all deaths in this age group.

So, what can be done to protect motorists from injury and death caused by motor vehicle accidents? The answers to this question are as follows:

1. Don’t’ drink and drive. Don’t ride in a car when the driver has been drinking.
2. Require your teenagers to enroll in driver safety programs.
3. Drive large vehicles. Full sized passenger cars weighing over 4000 pounds have a lower injury and fatality rates.
4. Lower your speed. Speed kills.
5. Practice defensive driving.
6. Stricter enforcement of traffic laws.
7. Make drivers who cause accidents criminally and civilly responsible.
8. Lower the center of gravity on Vans, SUVs, and pick-ups to prevent roll over accidents.
9. Incorporate some form of roll cages in vehicles.
10. Incorporation of more safety glass in vehicles.
11. Restricted licenses for the elderly and those with poor vision.
12. Better highway design. Fix the bad roads before we build new ones.
13. Raise insurance rates for at-fault drivers and lower them for safe drivers.
14. Better DMV reporting of traffic infractions to insurance companies.
15. Use of and incorporation of safety equipment such as seat belts, air bags, side curtain air bags, crumple zones and energy absorbing bumpers.
16. Don’t drive if you’re tired.
17. Raise the driving age to 19.
18. Require drug and alcohol testing for all traffic infractions.

 - John H. Bryan, West Virginia Car Accident Attorney.

Hearse Leading Funeral Procession Involved in Head-on Collision in Beckley – Creates Unique Car Accident Law Issues

From the Register-Herald today:

A hearse from Ritchie & Johnson Funeral Parlor leading a funeral cortege was involved in a head-on collision Monday shortly after noon.
Rick Barbero / Register-Herald Photographer

A hearse leading a funeral cortege was involved in a head-on collision Monday shortly after noon, according to the Beckley Police Department.

Police said the Ritchie & Johnson Funeral Parlor hearse was traveling northbound around the 900 block of South Kana-wha Street when it was hit by a 1993 Chevrolet Cavalier driven by Amanda Bonds. Police did not release her age and hometown.

Police said Bonds was traveling south when her vehicle struck a 2007 Chevrolet Avalanche on its driver’s side. Bonds’ vehicle continued south before crossing the center line and hitting the hearse head-on.

The funeral procession was held up for about 30 minutes while the casket carrying the deceased was transferred to another hearse. All of the funeral procession vehicles were using headlights and emergency flashers en route to the cemetery, funeral home officials said.

Police said the accident investigation is ongoing, but citations were pending.

This is an awful situation to have a hearse involved in a head-on collision while actually leading a funeral procession. To those of us who are West Virginia car accident lawyers, this situation creates some extremely unique car accident law issues. For instance, citations are “pending,” but who is going to get cited? There will be several different insurance companies involved, as well as workers compensation. Liability will have to be determined between the three drivers involved. Lastly, given that the hearse was itself struck, there could potentially be some damages claimed by the family of the deceased occupant of the hearse, depending on the circumstances.

Read the full article here.

– John H. Bryan, West Virginia Car Accident Attorney.

Higher Car Accident Rates for Teen Drivers – Especially with Cell Phones

The National Highway Traffic Safety (NHTSA) report indicated that 16 year-old drivers have a vehicle crash rate that is fully five times higher than the rate for 18 year-olds and nearly 10 times higher than the rate for drivers between 30 and 59 years-old.

n addition, Ford Motor Company research revealed that teenage drivers are four times more distracted when using a cell phone while driving, compared to adult drivers. The National Transportation Safety Board has a suggested “prohibition of the use of wireless communication device by young novice drivers” on it list of “Most Wanted” safety recommendations.

In a 2007 survey of 16- and 17-year-old drivers by Seventeen magazine and the American Automobile Association, 61% of the teens admitted to driving habits such as sending text messages while driving (46%) and talking on a cell phone while driving (51%).

I believe that the newer surveys that will be coming out will show that an enormous percentage of accidents are caused by teen drivers on cell phones, whether talking on them or texting on them. It would be a good idea to keep an eye out for these drivers, especially on West Virginia roads where they like to push their cars to the limit around each and every curve.

– John H. Bryan, West Virginia Car Accident Attorney.

Ten Tips to Prevent Car Accidents on West Virginia Roads

Many car accidents can be avoided on our dangerous West Virginia roads. The best recovery from a car accident is to never have been involved in one in the first place. Here are ten tips on preventing car accidents from Edmunds.Com, the full article for which can be found here.

1. Avoid the “fast lane.”
2. Keep your eyes scanning the road ahead.
3. Beware of blind spots.
4. Drive with your hands in the 9 and 3 o’clock position.
5. Move the steering wheel closer to your body.
6. Judge a driver by his/her car’s condition.
7. Know your car’s limits.
8. Keep your car in good shape.
9. The nighttime is not the right time.
10. Attend a racecar driving school.

– John H. Bryan, West Virginia Car Accident Attorney.