Rising car accident fatality rates mean the roads are less safe for all motorists. Unfortunately, between 2014 and 2015, there was the biggest jump in fifty years in the number of people who were killed in motor vehicle accidents.
The economic conditions which led to the dramatic rise in motor vehicle deaths in 2015 are likely to continue into 2016, which means every motorist is at risk of injuries or even fatalities in car accidents. Drivers need to be aware of the dangers and steps should be taken to try to reduce the chances of Hartford car accidents.
Rising Fatality Rates are Cause for Worry for Hartford Drivers
The number of people killed in car accidents in the U.S. in 2014 was 35,236, according to The Hill. In 2015 eight percent more people were killed in motor vehicle collisions as compared with just one year prior. Altogether, in 2015, there were 38,300 people killed on the roadways of the United States.
One of the biggest reasons why there were more deaths on the roads is because gas prices fell dramatically. There was a 28 percent drop in the cost of gas between 2014 and 2015 on average. Gas prices are expected to continue to fall, so there may also be a big gap between 2015 and 2016 as gas becomes even less expensive.
Lower gas prices translates directly to more miles driven, both because more people drive and because motorists tend to go for longer distances. In 2015, there was a 3.5 percent increase in total miles driven nationwide in the United States compared with in 2014. Other improving economic conditions also resulted in more people driving, such as a reduction in rates of unemployment which occurred in most locations nationally.
Good news about economics should not always mean bad news about car crash rates, although it often does because of the strong correlation between a rise in driving and a rise in fatalities. Drivers, however, are responsible for the behaviors which cause accidents to occur. Simply having more drivers and more people traveling longer distances wouldn't have to lead to crashes if every driver was responsible and followed the rules of the road.
The president of the National Safety Council, who was also a former chairwoman for the National Transportation Safety Board, warns "driving is one of the riskiest activities anyone can undertake," and laments the fact few Americans seem to be taking road safety seriously. If more motorists paid attention to the rules of the road, and ensured they exercised reasonable caution at all times, there would be fewer overall collisions. Efforts towards road safety would be beneficial in any economic conditions, regardless of the number of people actually traveling on the roads.