General Auto Accident Statistics

It would be easy for most to think that with the newest technology such as air bags and seatbelt enforcement that automobile related crashes and fatalities would seemingly go down. However, the opposite is actually true.

Fatal auto crashes actually rose in the United States by more than 2,000 during the years from 1994 to 2006. Many might not find those numbers very significant but when car manufacturers, police officials, MADD, and other organizations have tried desperately to merge together to lower the fatality rates, the rise is indeed significant.

Consider this, in 2006 alone there were 38,588 auto-related fatalities. Of that number 22,830 deaths occurred to the driver and more than 9,000 were passengers (FARS). Out of 100,000 people, 14.24 percent will die in a fatal car crash. Further statistics indicate that a person dies every 12 minutes in the U.S. from a vehicle crash. Vehicle accidents are the leading cause of death for Americans 35 years of age and younger.

The Department of Transportation's car accident statistics show that the majority of accidents are caused by irresponsible driving behavior. The reason for this is because more and more people are using their driving time as a time for multi tasking (e.g., text messaging, cell phone usage, and other distractions outside of the car).

The laws have been changing to eliminate or limit cell phone usage while driving. This is expected to reduce traffic fatalities by about 5 percent. Drivers themselves have to find ways to reduce distractions while driving in order to reduce these numbers effectively.

Other evidence indicates that the chances of having an auto accident increase under the following conditions: vehicles that are traveling above the average speed, poor eyesight, fatigue, drinking, and drug use.