When car crash rates are higher, drivers are at greater risk of becoming involved in a collisions. Motorists who are involved in car accidents could face profound, life-changing consequences. Drivers need to be aware of the dangers of collisions, as well as of how best to prevent accidents from happening.
Rising Crash Rates Should Concern Indianapolis Drivers
Drivers who are concerned about safety need to know of the dramatic increase which occurred in car accident fatalities between 2014 and 2015. According to The Hill, there were eight percent more people who were killed in motor vehicle crashes in the United States in 2015 as compared with during 2014. In total, while 35,236 people lost their lives in fatal accidents in 2014,there were 35,236 fatalities in 2015. The increase in deaths from 2014 to 2015 was the largest jump in the fatality rate in 50 years.
Most experts believe the dramatic increase in car accident fatalities happened as a result of an increase in the number of people driving. Better economic conditions made it possible for more people to drive and for people to drive more frequently. Falling unemployment was one factor, as more people working means more commuters and more people with money to travel and go places in their cars. Another big factor was the big decline in gas prices. Between 2014 and 2015, gas prices fell 28 percent within the United States.
Gas prices are continuing to fall in 2016, which means there is a possibility there will be even more accidents in 2016 if the death rate rises again. The president of the National Safety Council and former National Transportation Safety Board chairwoman urges Americans to treat the data on rising car accident deaths in 2015 as a warning sign to prompt motorists to change their behavior and stop engaging in dangerous activities behind the wheel.
Unfortunately, drivers continue to take unnecessary risks even as crash rates rise. The AAA Foundation for Traffic Safety conducted a study of drivers to find out if motorists were engaging in dangerous behaviors. Of the drivers responding to the survey, 87 percent had done something high risk behind the wheel at least once over the past 30 days. Most of the drivers surveyed repeatedly engaged in dangerous behaviors. These high risk behaviors included speeding, driving while intoxicated, drowsy driving, distracted driving, and being in cars without seat belts.
Drivers often did things they knew were dangerous. While 80 percent of people recognized the rising dangers of distracted driving and said they were worried distracted drivers presented a greater danger than it did three years ago, 70 percent also said they personally used the phone when driving.
Drivers need to improve their driving safety habits so improving economic conditions and more motorists on the road do not lead to higher rates of motor vehicle accidents. If drivers made a commitment to avoiding activities likely to increase accident risks and to operating their vehicles with reasonable caution at all times behind the wheel, fewer people would be killed in motor vehicle crashes each year.