Car Accident Statistics

Car accident statistics indicate that at least four people involved in car accidents die every hour. These accidents could be due to the fault of the driver, the other driver, or due to a faulty vehicle. The important thing to consider is the number of deaths occurring every day, excluding the people involved in car accidents and sustaining severe personal injuries.

The main causes for car accidents are reckless and negligent driving and alcohol. Teenagers, according to the statistics, cause most car accidents Inexperience coupled with irresponsible behavior and a lack of respect for the safety precautions are the main causes for such a high number of teenage car accidents.

Another reason is the inattentiveness of the driver. Many people talk while driving, which might prove to be fatal because it distracts the driver from the road. Even though hands free mobile phones are the latest craze, the driver would be unable to concentrate on the road while on the phone. The best option would be to park and then take the call, or not take the call at all while driving. These rules have already been implemented in a number of states.

Inattentiveness can also be caused due to alcohol, drugs, or the driver being distracted by music in the car. This might prove to be perilous to other drivers on the road and might result in either distracting them with reckless driving or causing side or rear end collisions due to inattentiveness. Such negligence can even cause pileups in highways and must be avoided at all costs.

Car accidents can be very traumatic, sometimes affecting the person for the rest of their life. Other than the physical injuries that may result due to the accident, mental pressure might also result. A few precautions can eliminate the prospect of accidents on the roads and provide a safety net. It is advised to follow the safety road rules and not drive while on the phone or while on drugs or alcohol.

Car Accident Statistics for 2008

The U.S. Department of Transportation released data from the Fatality Analysis Reporting System (FARS) for 2008 which provides the latest motor vehicle accident statistics.

2008 statistics showed that 34,017 people died due to motor vehicle accidents across the United States.

National Motor Vehicle Accident Statistics

• There are more than six million car accidents each year in the United States.
• A person dies in a car accident every 12 minutes and each year car crashes kill 40,000 people.
• The leading cause of death for individuals between 2 and 34 years old is motor vehicle crashes.
• Someone is injured by a car crash every 14 seconds and about two million of the people injured in car accidents each year suffer permanent injuries.
• Over 25% of all drivers were involved in an auto accident in a five-year period.
• Excessive speed is the second most common cause of deadly auto accidents, which accounts for about 30% of fatal accidents.
• Car crashes cost each American more than $1,000 a year; $164.2 billion is the total cost each year across the United States.
• Car accidents are the leading cause of death for kids between 2 and 14; About 2,000 children die each year from injuries caused by car accidents.
• Each year, almost 250,000 children are injured in car crashes, meaning nearly 700 kids are harmed every day.
• Car accidents are the leading cause of acquired disability nationwide.

2008 Motor Vehicle Accident Statistics

• In 2008, the number of overall traffic fatalities reached a record low since 1961, and that number continued to decrease in the first few months of 2009.
• The number of car crash deaths in 2008, 37,261, dropped 9.7% from the number of deaths in 2007; this is the largest annual reduction since 1982.
• The 2008 passenger car occupant fatalities have decreased for the sixth year in a row, accounting for 25,351 deaths. This is the lowest number since 1975 when the NHTSA began collecting fatality crash data.
• Motor vehicle traffic crashes injured about 2.35 million people in 2008, which is the lowest number the NHTSA has seen since it began collecting injury data in 1988.
• In 2008, there were a total of over 5.8 million car crashes, 1,630,000 causing injury, 4,146,000 resulting in property-damage only, and 34,017 ending in death.
• There were 15,983 urban crash fatalities in 2008, decreasing 11% from 2007.
• Car accident deaths in rural crashes totaled 20,905, a 10% decrease from 2007.

2007 Automobile Accident Statistics

• 41,059 people were killed in car accidents in 2007, an almost 4% decrease from 42,708 people in 2006.
• The highest number of deaths from car accidents occured in July and the fewest in February.
• 17,725 fatalities occured over the weekend and 23,237 during the weekday in 2007.
• In 2007, the highest number of fatalities, 6,796, occured in the 25-34 age range while the lowest number, 470, occured in the 5-9 range.
• 13,040 deaths in were linked to speeding.
• In 2007, 8,657 deaths occured in intersections.
• About 23,482 deadly crashes involved a single vehicle while 17,577 involved multiple vehicles in 2007.
• Instances where the vehicle in a crash veered off the road led to 24,147 fatalities in 2007.
• Non-fatal car accidents totaled 5,987,000 in 2007.
• In 2007, individuals were injured in about 1,711,000 accidents, while around 4,275,000 crashes only caused property damage.
• Car accidents disabled 270,000 people in 2007.