As we mentioned in an earlier post to our South Florida Injury Lawyers blog, 2009 was a banner year for safe driving across the country. The number of people killed in fatal car accidents dropped to its lowest since 1950, reaching almost a 10 percent decline in car accidents fatalities compared to 2008. Motorists injured in car accidents are down as well.
In fact, across the board, riding in or driving a vehicle – four wheeled or two wheeled, motorized or not – even walking on or near roadways in the U.S. is the safest it has ever been, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration reports. In Florida alone, the number of fatal Florida car accidents has dropped more than anywhere else in the country, reporting 422 fewer fatalities in 2009 than in 2008. Texas, California, Pennsylvania and Georgia also saw more than 200 fewer fatalities. Overall, just 9 states saw the number of fatal car accidents go up.
However, Florida remains one of the nation’s three deadliest states, along with Texas and California. And motorists are more at risk of a serious or fatal car accidents in Fort Lauderdale, Palm Beach and Miami than anywhere else in the state.
Throw alcohol into the mix, and again, numbers are down in 33 states and Puerto Rico. Fatal car accidents in which alcohol played a factor declined by 7.4 percent, claiming 10,839 lives in 2009 – 872 fewer than in 2008.
Among the findings:
Total Traffic Fatalities: 33,808 — down 9.7 percent from 37,423
Passenger Vehicles: 23,382 — down 8.2 percent from 25,462
Large Trucks: 503 — down 26 percent from 682
Motorcycles: 4,462 — down 16 percent from 5,312
Pedestrians: 4,092 — down 7.3 percent from 4,414
Bicyclists: 150 — down 12 percent from 188
Injuries were also down across the board:
Total Injuries: 2.217 million — down 5.5 percent from 2.346 million
Passenger Vehicles: 1.976 million — down 4.6 percent from 2.072 million
Large Trucks: 17,000 — down 26 percent from 23,000
Motorcycles: 90,000 — down 6.3 percent from 96,000
Pedestrians: 59,000 — down 14 percent from 69,000
Bicyclists: 51,000 — down 1.9 percent from 52,000
The Broward County car accident attorneys at Freeman & Mallard have been successfully and aggressively representing car accident victims and their families in Fort Lauderdale, West Palm Beach, and Ft. Pierce /Port St. Lucie for years. Call us today to schedule a no-obligation appointment to discuss your case at 1-800-529-2368.