Wrongful Death

Published on: April 20, 2022

NHTSA: 2020 Saw Highest Increase in Traffic Accident Deaths in 15 Years

The federal administration has released the final traffic accident fatality data for the year 2020, and the results are even worse than we expected. The administration confirms that the number of traffic accident deaths in 2020 was not just high, but also actually the highest on record in 15 years.

According to the data by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, there were 38,824 traffic accident fatalities in 2020. This was a significant 6.8% increase in the number of traffic accident deaths recorded in 2019. In 2019, there were a total of 36,355 traffic accident fatalities recorded by the federal administration.

However, there was a significant decrease in the number of overall accidents and injuries in 2019. In fact, there was a staggering 22% decrease in accidents since 2019. Interestingly enough, the number of people injured in accidents actually dropped by approximately 17% in 2020, compared to the previous year.

Published on: March 23, 2022

Seven States, Including Georgia, Contribute to Majority of Pedestrian Accident Deaths

by Robert N. Katz, Esq.

The Governors Highway Safety Association says that pedestrian accident fatalities increased significantly in 2020 and the months after. Seven states, including the state of Georgia, contributed to more than 50% of those pedestrian accident deaths.

Previous data has shown that the number of motor vehicle crash–related deaths across the country overall has increased since 2020, and pedestrian accident fatalities seem to have constituted a significant percentage of the total. In 2020, according to data by the Governors Highway Safety Association, a total of 6,700 pedestrians were killed in traffic accidents across the country. That was a statistically significant increase of 5% over the 6,412 pedestrians who were killed in accidents in 2019.

The pedestrian accident fatality rate in 2020 actually rose to 21% in spite of the fact that there were fewer vehicles on the road as a result of the pandemic. The fact that there were fewer vehicles on the road does not seem to have had any kind of negative impact on the number of accidents on our roads, and this is a matter of huge concern.

Published on: March 18, 2022

NHTSA Projects Increase in Traffic Accident Fatality Numbers for First Nine Months of 2021

by Robert N. Katz, Esq.

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration is projecting a significant 12% increase in the number of people killed in traffic accidents in the first nine months of last year. According to the projected estimates by the federal agency, a total of 31,720 people were killed in traffic accidents between January and September of 2021. That makes it an increase of 12 percent from the same period of time the previous year.

But the news gets worse. This increase marks the highest number of deaths in traffic accidents in the first nine months of any year since 2006. That means that fatalities during the first nine months of 2021 are projected to be the highest in more than 15 years. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration also estimates that the number of vehicle miles travelled in the first nine months of 2021 also increased by close to 2 percent compared to the same period of time the previous year.

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration divided the country into several regions with Georgia falling in Region 4. This region accounted for a 14% increase in fatalities in the first nine months of last year. Georgia’s performance mirrors the national average, and the state recorded a 12.2 percent increase in traffic accident deaths in 2021 compared to the previous year. In 2020, 1,185 deaths had been recorded in traffic accidents in the first nine months of the year, and that number has increased to 1,330 deaths in 2021. Increases were seen in 38 states, while in 10 states the numbers actually decreased, and in two states, there was no change in the numbers between 2020 and 2021.

Published on: February 23, 2022

National Roadway Safety Strategy Aims to Reduce Accident Deaths

by Robert N. Katz, Esq.

The federal administration is moving ahead in its plans to reduce the number of Americans being killed in traffic accidents every year with the announcement of a new strategy with the same objectives.

The Department of Transportation has published its National Roadway Safety Strategy with a goal of reducing the number of people killed in traffic accidents. 95% of transportation-related accidents in the country occur on our roads and highways. The Department of Transportation estimates that 20,160 people died in transportation related accidents across the country in the first six months of 2021. That was an increase of 18.4%, compared to the first six months of the previous year. These numbers do not include the thousands of injuries that have occurred in these accidents, leaving victims severely or permanently injured, and burdening families with medical and other expenses.

In 2019, according to the Department of Transportation, Georgia ranked in the top 25% of states in number of fatalities with a total of 1,491 fatalities occurring in the state in transportation related accidents that year. Georgia is also close to the top of the list when it comes to the number of deaths per 100 million vehicle miles travelled with a rate of 1.12 roadway traffic fatality deaths for every 100 million miles travelled.

Published on: January 9, 2022

Latest Crash Tests Underscore Role of Rear Seatbelts in Preventing Car Accident Personal Injuries

by Robert N. Katz, Esq.

New crash tests clearly highlight the importance of rear seat belts in preventing serious personal injuries in car accidents. The results of these tests are likely to spur efforts towards keeping back seat passengers safe in auto accidents.

Safety experts at the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety recently released the results of new tests specifically focused on the role of seatbelts in preventing personal injuries to passengers riding in the back. The Insurance Institute for Highway Safety was specifically looking at whether seatbelt technologies that have been shown to have excellent personal injury protection capabilities for front seat passengers and drivers, can also perform equally well in protecting rear seat passengers. The crash tests resulted in a new set of ratings for rear seatbelts, and this is the first time that ratings for rear seat belts have been released in the US.

These ratings will guide manufacturers as they design better automobiles that protect not just motorists and front seat passengers, but also passengers at risk at the back. The push towards increasing safety for back seat passengers received a further boost this year with Uber announcing that its app will soon require back seat passengers to buckle in as soon as they get in the car.

Published on: December 24, 2021

Stronger Driver’s License and Child Safety Laws Could Further Reduce Accident Fatalities in Georgia

by Robert N. Katz, Esq.

A leading non-profit traffic safety advocacy group says that Georgia could do a much better job of protecting motorists and other people on our roads and preventing accidents by implementing key changes to the existing laws.

According to Advocates for Highway and Auto Safety, a non-profit organization, 1,491 persons were killed in traffic accidents on Georgia roads in 2019. Around 13,525 people were killed in traffic accidents in the state over a decade-long period. Advocates for Highway and Auto Safety in its Roadmap for State Highway Safety Laws report says that the total cost of traffic accidents in Georgia has been more than 10 billion dollars. The 2021 roadmaps report identifies the areas in which Georgia has succeeded in keeping motorists safe, and suggests areas of improvement that could further help reduce accident and fatality rates in the state.

The report is very appreciative of Georgia’s seat belt laws that allow for primary enforcement. Primary enforcement means that a police officer can pull a motorist over and cite him for failure to wear a seatbelt even if he does not notice any other violations. However, the primary enforcement law applies to motorists and front seat passengers only, and not to rear seat passengers. The report recommends that Georgia implement primary enforcement seat belt laws even for back seat passengers. Georgia’s motorcycle helmet laws that apply to all riders as well as the state’s booster seat were commended, however the report recommended mandating children remain in rear facing booster seats until the age of two.

Published on: September 30, 2021

Georgia Motorcyclists Form a Significant Percentage of Traffic Fatalities

by Robert N. Katz, Esq.

Motorcyclists in Georgia form a small percentage of the total number of registered motor vehicles in the state, but account for a significantly higher number of fatalities every year. This unfortunately should not come as a surprise as a collision between a motorcycle and another vehicle usually results in serious or fatal injuries to the motorcyclist given the lack of outer vehicle protection.

In July, the Georgia Governor’s Office of Highway Safety released new data for motorcycle accidents across the state. The data is based on traffic accident statistics in Georgia in 2019. The data finds that motorcyclists form just a small percentage of motor vehicle accidents in the state, accounting for just 1 percent of all motor vehicle crashes. However, they form 11 percent of traffic accident deaths and 21 percent of all driver deaths.

According to the data, the North Georgia area, which encompasses the metropolitan Atlanta region, accounts for the majority of all motorcycle crashes in Georgia. The metro Atlanta region specifically accounts for the highest share of all motorcycle accidents in the state.

Published on: August 23, 2021

Most Categories of Traffic Accident Deaths Increased in 2020

by Robert N. Katz, Esq.

There may have been fewer cars on the road in 2020, but the number of accidents, most notably fatal ones, did not decrease as would have been expected. In fact, nearly every traffic accident category showed an increase in fatalities in 2020, a disturbing trend that needs to be corrected through bold, appropriate action.

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration in June released data on traffic accident deaths in 2020, divided by sub categories. The data was contained in a report tiled Early Estimates of Motor Vehicle Traffic Fatalities and Fatality Rate by sub categories, and clearly indicated that deaths rose in every traffic accident category from rollover crashes to weekend accidents, and beyond.

Car accident deaths were up by 5 percent to 23,395

Published on: February 4, 2021

GHSA Report: Speeding is a Major Contributor to Teen Accident Deaths

by Robert N. Katz, Esq.

Teens account for a greater proportion of all speeding-related accident deaths in the United States, compared to all other age groups. Those disturbing facts come from a new report by the Governor’s Highway Safety Association, which analyzed data between 2015 and 2019.

The report found that teen motorists, as well as their passengers between the ages of 16 and 19, accounted for a much higher proportion of accident deaths that were caused by speeding, with 43% of deaths occurring in this age group. In all other age groups, speeding accounted for approximately 30% of all deaths during the same time period.

According to the report, there were a total of 4,930 fatalities in accidents that were caused by speeding, between 2015 and 2019. During this time, there were 15,510 teen driver and passenger accident deaths, and more than 5,200 of those occurred in accidents that were caused by speeding.

Published on: May 11, 2020

Half of Georgia’s Covid-19 Deaths Occurred in Nursing Homes

by Robert N. Katz, Esq.

All throughout the country, nursing home residents have been one of the hardest hit groups of the Covid-19 pandemic. The same deadly results have been seen in Georgia as well. According to estimates, as many as 50 percent of the fatalities in the state have involved residents of nursing homes.

The Georgia Department of Community Health recently released Covid-19 fatality numbers and the results are frightening. The data suggests that more than 6,000 residents and staff members of nursing homes in Georgia are currently infected with the virus. About 350 facilities in the state are currently grappling with the outbreak. About 20 percent of all Covid-19 cases in Georgia have occurred in nursing homes and 659 deaths have been linked to nursing homes.

The picture is even bleaker in the rural parts of Georgia. The virus, which was earlier believed to be confined to urban areas, has spread with staggering speed in rural areas. These counties, with predominantly poor or African American populations have been affected disproportionately by the outbreak, and nursing homes in these regions have seen an alarming spike in death tolls.