The first three months of 2022 had more devastating news for American motorists with traffic and car accident wrongful deaths during this period of time hitting a 20-year high. All estimates seem to suggest that far from offering hope for the future, the news on the traffic safety front does not seem to be getting better for motorists in Georgia and around the country.
The new estimates released by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration confirms that there were more than 9,500 auto accident deaths in the first 3 months of this year. According to the agency estimates, 9,560 people lost their lives in auto accidents across the United States in January, February and March of 2022. That was a 7% increase from the number of wrongful deaths recorded in the first three months of 2021 when 8,935 people were killed in car accidents. In still more devastating news for auto safety regulators, those numbers mark the highest number of auto accident deaths on record since 2002.
The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration also reports that the projected traffic crash death rate increased to 1.27 auto accident deaths per 100 million vehicles travelled . The news was not all grim, however. At least 19 states and Puerto Rico recorded declines in car accident deaths during the first quarter of this year.
The latest news comes on the heels of an announcement by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration that auto accident death estimates for 2021 were the highest recorded since 2005. The agency confirmed earlier this year that there were 42,915 auto accident deaths last year which was a more than 10% increase from the previous year.
The agency’s quarterly estimate for 2022 does not include projections of the number of people killed in different types of car accidents, but it is very likely that speeding continues to be a factor in driving those auto accident death rates upward. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration just launched its high enforcement campaign coinciding with the Labor Day weekend, and is no doubt hoping to reverse this disturbing trend. The campaign is expected to specifically focus on reducing the risk of car accidents caused by drivers under the influence of alcohol. The campaign will also focus on reducing the risk from distracted drivers. Distracted driving continues to be a key factor driving car accident rates upward.
With deaths in auto accidents inching ever closer to the 50,000 mark every year, it is imperative that federal, state and local transportation agencies do more to help reverse these trends and save motorist lives.
The Atlanta car crash attorneys at Katz Personal Injury Lawyers are dedicated to the representation of persons injured in car accidents in the metro Atlanta region and across Georgia. If you or a loved one have suffered injuries in a car accident, talk to a lawyer at our firm and determine if you have legal options to a claim for damages. You may be eligible for compensation that includes medical expenses, lost income and other types of damages. Talk to an attorney at our firm and discuss your case.