[dropcap]W[/dropcap]ith the way that technology has enabled safety improvements in many different aspects of life, you would perhaps think that motor vehicle fatalities would also be reduced significantly. However, the stats show that motor vehicle deaths were up 6% in 2016, a startling statistic and one that we really don’t want to see.
So, why do we see these increases? The same report indicated that mileage was up 3% so the increased usage of vehicles is partly attributed to the increase in the number of deaths. Another upsetting fact is that 2016 had the highest number of motor-vehicle fatalities since as far back as 2007.
In terms of costs to society, motor vehicle accidents resulted in a staggering $432 billion in 2016, which was a 12% jump from the previous year. A lot of this money is down to medical expenses and lost wages, as well as property damage. Being involved in a vehicle accident can not only cost you your health, but it can also plunge you into financial difficulty if you are unable to go to work and you are not entitled to sick pay.
If you are involved in a vehicle accident, then you should seek the advice of a personal injury attorney from thonbeck.com to make sure that you are not cheated out of money that you are entitled to. It is bad enough having the trauma of being involved in an accident and dealing with the pain of any injury that you sustained without also facing hefty medical bills.
The factors behind the increases in fatalities are varied and while technology has been able to introduce some safety measures to vehicles, it is fair to say technology also brings a number of distractions that were not around some years ago. From the use of smartphones to being distracted by a sat-nav, there are plenty of technological distractions that could be a key factor in the increased number of fatal accidents.
People admit to texting while driving, and it takes only seconds to look away from the road for an accident to occur. Not only is it endangering themselves, the driver, but it is also putting anyone else on the road at high risk. Pedestrians and cyclists don’t stand a chance if hit by a vehicle at high speed, so surely it is time that more is done to prevent people from using their smartphones while driving.
In the UK, they recently doubled the amount of points that are applied if you are found to be using a phone, and this includes while queuing in traffic and also when stopped at traffic lights. We won’t see the results of the increased charges for some time, but it seems like the right approach to be taking and maybe something that the US will need to introduce.
Another big cause of vehicle deaths is from drunk driving, so this is another area that last year’s stats should highlight as an area of big concern and requires improved prevention/prosecution methods.
