fatality rates

Published on: June 20, 2016

Troubling Increase in Motorcycle Accident Fatalities

U.S. authorities are reporting a disturbing 10% increase in the number of people killed in motorcycle accidents across the country in 2015. Those statistics come from the Governors Highway Safety Association, which blames alcohol and drug use, higher speed limits, and an increase in the number of states repealing motorcycle helmet laws for this increase in fatalities.

According to the statistics, there were 5,010 motorcycle fatalities in 2015. That suggests an increase of 450 fatalities compared to the previous year. What makes these numbers even more alarming is that it is only the third year in American history in which the number of motorcycle fatalities has crossed the 5,000 mark.

The GHSA believes that enacting universal helmet laws would do much to help reduce the number of fatalities in motorcycle accidents every year. Currently, 32 states have no universal helmet use laws. The Governors Highway Safety Association believes that restoring these laws would be a highly effective way of reducing the number of fatalities. In states that have such universal helmet laws, the rate of helmet use is as much as 89%. In other states, the rates hover at about 48%.

Published on: February 3, 2012

Decline in Georgia Car Accident Deaths in 2010

by Robert N. Katz, Esq.

Car accident death rates in Georgia seem to have mirrored the nationwide drop in traffic accident deaths in the year 2010.Highway safety officials in Georgia recorded a substantial drop in accident fatalities in the state for the 5th successive year. Most personal injury lawyers have not really seen that significant level of a drop in their wrongful death cases. That is likely due to the fact the decrease has come through improvement of roadways. Very few wrongful death cases caused by roadway defects are actually litigated.

According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration and the Georgia Department of Transportation, a total of 1,244 people died in car accidents in Georgia last year.That was a drop of 3.7% from the previous year, or 48 fewer fatalities.In 2009, the number of people killed in auto accidents was 1,292.The number has been dropping steadily since 2006.

To understand the kind of progress that has been made in keeping motorists safe on Georgia roads, consider this – in 2005, there were 1,744 deaths in traffic accidents in Georgia, compared to 1,244 in 2010.In just 5 years, transportation safety agencies and law enforcement in Georgia have been able to reduce the number of people being killed in preventable traffic accidents.

Published on: August 25, 2011

ESC Systems Have Reduced Fatal Accidents by 18%

by Robert N. Katz, Esq.

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration says that electronic stability control systemselectronic stability control systems have reduced car accident wrongful deaths by as much as 18%.The agency studied the effectiveness of these systems that are now popular on so many automobiles, in preventing fatal auto accidents.The researchers studied fatal car accident statistics between 1997 and 2009, to gauge the effectiveness of electronic stability control systems in preventing crashes.

These systems have become very popular, and are now available in a number of standard models.In 2005, less than 20% of automobiles came equipped with electronic stability control systems.Thanks to new legislation, automobiles from the 2012 model year onwards will have to come with electronic stability control systems as standard features. This is a change that personal injury lawyers advocated for many years.

Electronic stability control devices come with sensors that detect when a vehicle is beginning to flip over.When that happens, the system kicks into gear, adjusting breaking power to one or more wheels to allow the motorist to control the vehicle.Electronic stability control systems are designed to reduce the high number of car accident deaths every year that can be traced to rollovers.