Broward Injury Lawyer Blog
According to the United States Department of Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood, the number of traffic accident-related fatalities across the nation dropped to the lowest numbers on record since 1949. In 2010, officials report that there were more than 32,880 fatalities from car accidents in Fort Lauderdale and elsewhere during the year. Officials report this decrease in fatalities is somewhat surprising because Americans traveled nearly 50 billion more miles in 2010 than in 2009.
What Transportation officials fail to tell you in their recent National Highway Transportation Safety Administration (NHTSA) press release is that while the number of car accident fatalities decreased overall, there were multiple accident categories that saw an increase during this time. Motorists are urged to keep safe driving as a top priority. This news is no reason to let down you guard and push safe driving habits to the back seat Stay alert on our roadways, as accidents are still a major risk on our roadways.
Our Fort Lauderdale car accident attorneys understand that the number of fatal, alcohol-related accidents involving vans, pick-ups, motorcycles and pedestrians saw an increase in 2010 from 2009. While the USDOT paints a picture of safer roadways across the board, the truth of the matter is that far too many people are still dying in motor vehicle accidents nationwide. Florida is one of the areas in the state where a number of accident categories saw an increase from 2009 to 2010. Drivers beware!
“We need to maintain our focus on this issue through education, laws, enforcement, and vehicle design to help keep drivers’ attention on the road,” says National Highway Traffic Safety (NHTSA) Administration’s David Strickland
Highlights from the 2010 Motor Vehicle Crashes Overview:
-A new measure, the “distraction-affected crashes” measure was introduced to help record accidents caused by driver inattention. These type of accidents took the lives of approximately 3,100 people. Officials think this number is actually much higher because drivers are hesitant to admit their own inattention behind the wheel caused an accident.
-The number of accidents during the evening hours decreased by nearly 90 percent.
-There was a near 80 percent decrease in the number of car accidents during weekends.
-The number of fatalities of motorcyclists over the age of 50 saw an increase of roughly 120.
-The number of fatalities of motorists under the age of 50 saw a decrease of about 85.
-Car accident-related fatalities of those over the age of 55 saw an increase for nearly 410.
This national report indicated that Florida saw a decrease of about 4.5 percent in the number of overall traffic accident-related fatalities. It’s important to remember, however, that Florida still ranks as the most dangerous state in the country for pedestrian and bicyclist fatalities, which saw an increase from 2009 to 2010.
If you or a member of your family has been injured or killed in a car accident in Broward, contact the Fort Lauderdale car accident attorneys at Richard Ansara. Call (954) 761-4011 or visit www.ansaralaw.com to set up an appointment to discuss your rights. Call 24/7!
