Car Crash Facts

Subscribe to our Online Newsletter

West Palm Beach
(800) 780-8607
(561) 686-6300
(800) 220-7006 En Español

Tallahassee
(888) 549-7011
(850) 224-7600

Although the number of motor vehicle fatalities has declined steadily since 1961, traffic accidents in 2008 killed more than 37,000 Americans.

It may surprise you to learn that motor vehicle accident fatalities and injuries are on the decline in the United States. The fact is, fatalities reported in 2008 represent the lowest number since 1961. Yet, when we add up all the figures, we understand why catastrophic motor vehicle accidents remain a terrifying threat to drivers, passengers and pedestrians in every state.

Here are some staggering national statistics based on 5.8 million motor vehicle crashes reported in the 2008 Traffic Safety Annual Assessment by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration:

• 37,261 total people killed
• 14,587 killed in passenger car accidents
• 10,764 killed in light truck crashes
• 5,290 motorcycle deaths
• 4,378 pedestrians killed
• 717 pedalcyclist deaths (non-motorized vehicles, such as bicycles)

In addition to those whose lives were extinguished by traffic accidents in 2008, another 2.35 million people were injured in vehicle crashes:

• 1.3 million drivers or occupants of passenger cars
• 768,000 drivers or passengers in light trucks
• 23,000 in large truck crashes
• 96,000 motorcyclists
• 69,000 pedestrians
• 52,000 pedalcyclists

If you live in Florida, the Florida Department of Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles reports similarly positive trends toward decreased traffic fatalities. In 2008, 2,983 people were killed in traffic-related accidents – the first time Florida traffic deaths have been below 3,000 in nearly a decade. Two current statistics are especially alarming, however:

• Teen drivers between ages 15 and 19 have the highest rate of crash involvement, at 399 per 10,000 licensed drivers in 2008; and
• Drinking and driving continues to contribute to almost 40% of traffic deaths in Florida.

A major cause of death and injury to drivers, passengers, and pedestrians is distracted driving, which only now is receiving national attention.

The US Department of Transportation convened an unprecedented summit on distracted driving in the fall of 2009, for the first time exposing the lethal consequences of driving while texting or using cell phones.

Summarizing the results, Transportation Secretary LaHood pronounced distracted driving “a serious, life-threatening epidemic that steals loved ones from us and puts responsible drivers in danger every time they hit the road.”

Nearly 6,000 Americans died in 2008 crashes involving an inattentive driver, and more than half a million people were injured.

Here are some facts about distracted driving provided by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration:

• According to a Virginia Tech study, 80% of all crashes and 65% of near crashes involve some type of driver distraction.
• In addition to texting and cell phone use, other driver activities that prove distracting are eating and drinking, talking to passengers, grooming, reading (even maps), using a navigation system, watching a video, and changing the radio station or CD.
• Texting is the most alarming driver distraction because it takes eyes off the road, hands off the wheel, and the driver’s mind off his or her focus on driving.
• Cell phone use, whether hands-on or hands-free, delays a driver’s reactions as much as having a blood alcohol concentration at the legal limit of .08 percent.
• Using a hand-held device is four times more likely to cause a serious crash than other distracting activities.
• Yet even when cell phone use is hands-free – via a headset, speakerphone, or other device – one study indicates that using a cell phone reduces brain activity associated with driving by as much as 37%.

Government agencies and consumer organizations are struggling to save lives with realistic solutions to the distracted driving epidemic.

Responding to mounting evidence of the dangers of texting and using cell phones while driving, several states have already passed legislation prohibiting these uses. Federal agencies such as the US Department of Transportation have become increasingly vigilant, and are amassing statistics to further bolster the case against distracted driving. At least one non-profit consumer group, FocusDriven, has organized to raise public awareness and urge action on this issue.

For more information about accident prevention efforts aimed at distracted driving, see the Accident Prevention page on this website and a new NHTSA website, www.distraction.gov

Here are more sobering facts and figures about motor vehicle accidents and their causes.

Worldwide, car crashes are the leading cause of death among 15 to 19 year olds. The US Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) says that two out of five deaths among American teenagers occur from motor vehicle crashes. Teenagers are four times more likely than older drivers to have a car accident.

Why are teenagers disproportionately likely to be killed or maimed in a vehicle accident? Primarily because their lack of driving experience leads teens to underestimate hazardous conditions or situations. But, in addition, teenagers are even more likely than adults to indulge in high-risk activities such as cell phone use and text messaging while driving. A July 2009 Michigan study by Students Against Destructive Decisions and Liberty Mutual Insurance Group found that drivers are six times more likely to become distracted and cause an accident if they are texting.  

Combine this with peer pressure to take risks, driving too fast, following too closely, or driving drunk, and a careless teenager becomes a recipe for disaster.

But teenagers are not the only ones with increased likelihood of involvement in a car crash that causes death or serious injury.

Another age group, elderly drivers, is even more likely than teenagers to be involved in fatal car accidents. This is an especially frightening statistic because the number of drivers over 65 is expected to double to 70 million in the United States by the year 2070. Factors that contribute to fatal vehicle accidents caused by older drivers include slower reflexes, poor eyesight, and confusion caused by dementia or other cognitive impairment.

Not a day goes by without newspaper and television headlines about tragic crashes caused by drunk drivers. While the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration contends that hundreds of lives have been saved each year by minimum drinking age laws, alcohol-impaired driving fatalities in 2008 still accounted for nearly a third of total vehicle accident fatalities: 11,773 deaths. States with the highest percentage of fatalities attributed to drunk driving were Ohio (46% of traffic deaths), North Dakota (46%), South Carolina (44%), Wyoming (42%), and Montana (40%). Utah (17%) and Vermont (16%) were in a virtual dead heat for the lowest percentage of alcohol-related traffic fatalities.  

At Searcy Denney Scarola Barnhart & Shipley, we believe that one death is still one too many. Even these reduced numbers loom large in terms of the emotional and financial devastation that motor vehicle crashes impose upon families.

The bottom line is, a catastrophic vehicle accident can be caused by anyone, at any age, drunk or sober: falling asleep at the wheel, skidding on a rain-slicked highway, driving just a little too fast to get to a meeting on time, or just not paying attention. Even more tragic, a car accident can happen to anyone, anywhere, when it is least expected.

If a catastrophic vehicle accident happens to you or a family member, our attorneys at Searcy Denney Scarola Barnhart & Shipley can help you sort out the emotional and financial devastation and navigate the path to justice. Please fill out our Contact Form, or call us to learn more and arrange a confidential free consultation.

Related Links:
Texting Raises Crash Risk 23 Times, Study Finds
The Dangers of Text-Messaging While Driving
NHTSA: 2008 Traffic Safety Annual Assessment - Highlights
NHTSA: Early Estimate of Motor Vehicle Traffic Fatalities for the First Quarter of 2009
Florida Highway Fatalities Drop to Eight-Year Low