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(EMAILWIRE.COM, April 18, 2011 ) WASHINGTON, D.C. - LegalView has recently published a new blog post regarding car accidents. Readers can read more about auto accidents on the LegalView blog at http://blogs.legalview.info/?p=4679.
LegalView has updated its auto accident portal relating to research published by the United States Department of Transportation, or DOT. The numbers of car accidents have declined to their lowest level since 1949. According to the DOT, the numbers of accidents have fallen three percent since 1949 and 25 percent from 2005. Death or serious injury can result in an accident. Auto accidents are the leading cause of death among people age 5-34 in the United States, reports the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
Preliminary numbers show that close to 32,788 died in traffic accidents last year which is down from 33,808 killed the previous year, which is a significant reduction from the 43,510 people killed six years ago, according the DOT's National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.
Many experts attribute the change to a variety of reasons, including changes to cars- rollover protection- and programs, to changes to driving behavior such as campaigns to curtail drunk driving, distracted driving, and seat belt use. Also, laws aimed at younger drivers have helped. These laws include: older minimum drinking ages and graduated driving licenses.
Transportation Secretary, Ray LaHood, has been campaigning to reduce distracted driving for the past two years. He says that his (and his team's) efforts have paid off and it shows with the release of these numbers. He also attributes the reduction in deaths to stricter enforcement of driving laws and drivers for taking personal responsibility for their own safety.
In 2008 there was a 9.7 percent drop in deaths. In a report by the DOT that examined why there was such a huge drop during that year, officials gave credit to the department's safety program, but also noted that the drop coincided with the 2008 recession. The recession coupled with high unemployment rates among young workers may have contributed to the drop. According to the DOT, younger drivers are far more likely to be in (and cause) car crashes.
The 2010 decline is notable because even though the number of miles driven has increase, the number of deaths declined.
Tony Kline, a professor at the Traffic Safety Institute at Eastern Kentucky University, said that there are so many factors that could contribute to the decline that it is difficult to credit one or two factors to the decline.
He indicated that many factors are taking young drivers off the read which could be having a significant impact on the statistics. In many states, teenagers can only drive when there is an adult present in the car. Additionally, the recession and higher prices of gas may be discouraging young drivers from driving.
As a leading online legal resource, LegalView frequently publishes information regarding auto accidents and finding a potential auto accident lawyer.
About LegalView:
LegalView is a public service brought to you by Legal WebTV Network, LLC, a Limited Liability Corporation created by a group of the nation's most highly respected law firms: Anapol Schwartz; Cohen, Placitella and Roth; James F. Humphreys and Associates; and Lopez McHugh. For more information on the accomplishments and track records of LegalView's superior sponsoring law firms and to get in touch with LegalView attorneys, visit LegalView at www.Legalview.info.
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