Fort Lauderdale Car Accident Attorney Blog
With the presidential election behind us, you may have thought you’d seen the last of the blue and red states — but they’re back! Curiously, it seems a state’s traffic accident statistics may be correlated with its political affiliation.
According to NBC News, people who are in the red states are more likely to be involved in a fatal accident than those in blue states. The red states are generally Republican drivers supporting Mitt Romney, while the blue states represent Democrats in support of Barack Obama.
Our Fort Lauderdale car accident lawyers understand that Florida is considered a “blue” state, if only by a few thousand votes. While we don’t have the highest risks for accidents, we do see some of the most fatalities. In 2010, there were close to 2,500 people killed in car accidents. For that year, we came in second place for having the most traffic accident fatalities in the entire country. When breaking down all of the states in the country, the ones with the highest fatal accident rates were all red. All but one of the 10 states with the lowest rates were blue.
Red & Blue States:
-Massachusetts had the lowest fatal accident rate.
-Wyoming had the highest fatality rate.
But why does a state’s political affiliation correspond with accident rates? Officials are still looking into it. Some believe that it’s the blue states that more readily adopt safety laws. That theory may be flawed with the lack of safety regulations we have on drivers in the state of Florida. The Sunshine State continues to be one of the only states left with absolutely no distracted driving laws on the books. But you can use Texas as an example for this theory. Texas is considered a red state and had a high rate of fatal car accidents. Texas recently opened a road with a speed limit of 85 miles per hour, which serves as the fastest roadway in the nation.
Other experts say that there are a multitude of factors that contribute to these numbers, like the rural conditions of a state. Rural drivers tend to drive longer distances and they use more dangerous (narrow and winding) roadways. Some even think that education levels and lower income stats contribute to higher fatal accident rates.
“No matter how you look at fatal crash rates, there are some important things that explain why states are different, and they’re not political explanations,” said Anne McCartt, with the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety.
The truth of the matter is that just as you have the freedom to represent your choice in politics, you have the choice to choose how safe, or unsafe, you drive. We’re asking everyone to make the same vote here — for roadway safety!
If you or a loved one has been injured or killed in a traffic accident, contact the personal injury lawyers at Freeman, Mallard, Sharp & Gonzalez LLC for a free and confidential consultation to discuss your case. Call 1-800-561-7777.
More Blog Entries:
Florida Officials Warn of the Dangers of Smoke, Fog and Heavy Rain, Fort Lauderdale Car Accident Attorney Blog, November 23, 2012
Motorcycle Passenger Seriously Injured After Collision with Wall, Fort Lauderdale Car Accident Attorney Blog, November 20, 2012