Car Accident Statistics

Car crashes are scary. And they happen a lot. Much more than they should. According to a whole bunch of car accident statistics compiled by a lot of smart people, a huge portion of these auto accidents and auto deaths could be avoided by slowing down and using safe driving practices.

Luckily you’re here reading this post, so chances are you wanna be an A+ Aceable graduated driver. Go you! Let’s look at some info and crash statistics so you can understand the numbers behind the car accident fatality analysis.

Let's Look at Some Charts About Car Accident Statistics

Fatal Crashes by Year

While some accidents are simple rear-end collisions or fender benders, a lot of accidents that occur are a much bigger deal. In a six-year span, 196,236 people died in auto accidents. That’s more than the number of people who live in Salt Lake City, the capital of Utah. Imagine a whole city wiped out in six years. That’s crazy. We're not trying to freak you out, but we care about you! We want you to avoid accidents in whatever way possible. If we all pay attention to US traffic safety laws in Texas, California, Florida, Georgia, Illinois, Nevada, and Oklahoma.. And we avoid risky driving habits, maybe we can decrease the number of vehicle crashes resulting in fatalities and injured drivers. Let's do it!

Causes of Traffic Fatalities

As if you couldn’t have already guessed, drunk driving is the number one culprit, followed closely by speeding. The good news is that both of these things can be very easily avoided by being a safe, smart, sober driver who's conscious of traffic safety practices. No alcohol before you get behind the wheel! We know you're a smart Aceable driver who learned about all this during the driver licensing process, but we want to make sure all our Acelets are safe teen drivers.

Speeding is listed as the second highest cause of vehicle deaths after alcohol. According to NHTSA, or the National Highway Safety Administration, 9,262 people were fatally injured in accidents caused by motor vehicle speeding in 2014 alone. These weren't all in highway traffic either. Speeding can be dangerous anywhere. Y'all! There are speed limit signs posted everywhere for a reason. Do what they say (please)!

Next up: distracted driving. 16% of traffic accidents by motorists are caused by distractions like texting, messing with the radio or a gps, or trying to unwrap that delicious crunch wrap supreme from Taco Bell. We know your mouth is watering- pull over. It's not hard to avoid these crash deaths. If there's something you need to do that simply can't wait (we know the Taco Bell is calling your name), stop the car on the side of the road. Simple as that.

Fatalities Broken Down by Role

70% of car accident victims are occupants inside the actual vehicle- the drivers and passengers. The other 30% are people outside of cars such as pedestrians and motorcyclists. You’re especially at risk if you’re the driver, but you also have the power to make this statistic smaller and avoid causing pain and suffering. Getting your driver license is a huge responsibility, and the safety of everyone on the street, sidewalk, and motorcycles is in your hands any time you're on the road. No pressure.

Time When Fatal Crashes Happen

This chart shows that Friday, Saturday, and Sunday are the riskiest days to drive/be on the road. Unsurprisingly, the weekends are the worst days for accidents. Be cautious on weekends - too much fun can kill you.

Getting in a traffic accident can not only cause personal injury but can result in some hefty financial pains too. Crashes cost. Having to file a car accident claim with your driver insurance company can result in increased insurance costs. If you're in a motor vehicle accident, insurance companies think it's more likely to happen again, so the they charge more money to account for that risk. Not to mention if you end up getting a car accident injury, you could be paying off some medical bills too. Cha-ching. There goes all your hard-earned cash.

We know reading all about safety facts and ways to prevent injuries and fatalities can be a bit of a downer, but it's super important to be informed! Luckily, organizations like NHTSA and IIHS (Insurance Institute for Highway Safety) are working hard to keep you in the know with analysis reporting.

Now that you know the statistics and fatality facts, you can work towards being a better, safer driver. Being safe and aware on the road is the first step to reducing the number of car accident injuries each year and increasing traffic safety. You can do it, we believe in you!