The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) announced on December 8 that 2010 saw the fewest highway accident deaths since 1949, even as U.S. drivers traveled a combined total of over 46 billion miles in the year. Fatalities dropped to 32,885 deaths over the course of the year according to data collected by the NHTSA’s Fatality Analysis Reporting System (FARS), which the agency uses to collect accident data from around the United States.
The data collected shows that fatalities in most accident categories declined from 2009 to 2010, including crashes involving passenger cars and light trucks, such as pickups. The fatality rate for 2010 is now the lowest ever recorded with an average of 1.10 deaths per 100 million miles traveled by vehicles, a rate that is owed to both the decline in overall deaths and increase in miles traveled.
While complete details of the results will not be available for several years, some overall statistics have been released. Fatal drunk driving crashes decreased 4.9 percent from 2009 to 2010 with 531 fewer deaths resulting. However, fatalities rose for motorcyclists, pedestrians, and those involved in large truck crashes. The NHTSA also reported that 3,092 people died in 2010 crashes that involved some form of distracted driving.
While the 61-year low is a great mark of success for government agencies and all involved in making U.S. roads safer, over 32,000 car crash deaths is still a tragic number without even taking into account the number non-fatally injured. A Santa Cruz car accident attorney at Van Der Walde & Associates can fight for your full and fair compensation is you have been injured in a Northern California motor vehicle accident. Call our offices at (877) 862-6288 for a complimentary consultation on your case.
