2015 Sees Sharp Rise in Roadway Fatalities
Despite a five-decade streak of improvements in fatality rates on US roads, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) reports that, based on early analysis of data gathered during 2015, the number of drivers killed in motor vehicles rose over the previous year.
No form of transportation seemed to be immune to the increase in deadly accidents. Bicyclist accidents rose by 13%. Fatal accidents involving pedestrians rose by 10%. Large truck accidents rose by 4%. Overall, the number of people killed on the road across all forms of accident rose by 7.7% over the number killed in 2014, an estimated 35,200 deaths in 2015 as compared to 32,675 in 2014.
Researchers are now attempting to determine the causes for this rise in fatality rates, but have not yet reached satisfying conclusions. The administrator of the NHTSA, Mark Rosekind, noted that as the economy improved and gas prices sank lower, more people were driving both to their place of employment and for leisure. It is also important to note the increase in vehicle miles traveled in 2015 amounted to a 3.5% rise over the number traveled in 2014.
Experts suggest that mistakes made by drivers cause the vast majority of accidents. According to Rosekind, “94% of crashes can be tied back to a human choice or error.” The factors that tend to result in fatalities on the road most often, according to the NHTSA, are: distractions, drowsiness, intoxication, and excessive speed. Jonathan Adkins, the executive director of the Governor’s Highway Safety Association, noted that while new developments in vehicle safety technologies may save lives, other strategies have a proven record of increasing safety. “They include strong laws coupled with highly-visible law enforcement and robust public education campaigns. By using these tactics, the nation saw a nearly 25% drop in the number of fatalities between 2005 and 2014, including a record low in 2011,” he stated.
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