Why Have Traffic Deaths And Injuries Been Increasing Lately

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Why Have Traffic Deaths And Injuries Been
Increasing Lately
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For many years now we have heard that traffic
deaths and injuries on our highways have been
decreasing.
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There is no doubt that today's vehicles are
safer than vehicles built in the past.
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However, no matter how many safety features are
built into our vehicles, it is still up to us as
drivers to be the ultimate determining factor as
to how safe driving will be.
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And for the first half of 2015 the news
regarding our driving safety is not good.
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If you were asked why traffic deaths and injuries
were running thirty percent higher in the first
six months of 2015 as compared to the first six
months of 2014 would it ever cross your mind that
one reason may be an improved economy? Well,
according to the National Safety Council that in
fact is a contributing factor to the increase in
deaths and injuries in the first six months of
2015.
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When you begin to think about it you can see the
logical link between an improved economy and
traffic deaths and injuries.
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When more people have jobs, there are more
vehicles on the road each day with those people
making their way to work.
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When unemployment is low, there is more
dispossible income available for more people to
take vacations, which in turn leads to more
vehicles on the road.
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Mathematically, the more vehicle that are on the
road the more we are going to see collisions that
lead to traffic deaths and injuries.
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Could Lower Gas Prices Be Leading To More Traffic
Deaths and Injuries
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We are all happy that today's gas prices are some
of the lowest that we have seen in the past few
years.
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Low gas prices, however, then become another
factor as to why there has been an increase in
the number of fatalities and injuries on our
roadways.
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Cheaper gas leads to more driving and more
driving leads to more fatalities and injuries.
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There is an alarming statistic related to the
increase in traffic deaths and injuries that
cannot be connected to either an improved economy
or cheaper gas that has traffic experts puzzled.
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In the first half of 2015 the death rates per
person on our roadways has increased
significantly.
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For the first half of 2015 there were 12 point 5
deaths per 100,000 people on our roadways.
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In the first six months of 2014 there were 11
point 1 deaths per 100,000 people on our roadways.
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Experts do not have an explanation for such a
large increase in such a short period of time.
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Distracted Driving Leads To More Traffic Deaths
and Injuries
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One undeniable danger on our roads today is the
percent of drivers that use their smartphones
while driving.
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In a recent survey conducted by ATT, they found
that approximately seventy percent of individuals
use their smartphones while driving.
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Use of their smartphone included taking or
making phone calls, sending or viewing text
messages and sending or reading email.
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On top of that drivers in the poll admitted
using Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and Snapchat
while driving.
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They also indicated that they have engaged in
video chats, took selfies and shot videos all
while driving.
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The National Safety Council concludes that these
types of activities raise the possibility of
being in a crash by a factor of eight.
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They also believe that these types of activities
are responsible for as much as twenty seven
percent of all crashes that occur on our roadways.
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With these types of activities being more common
with younger and less experienced drivers, the
rise in traffic deaths and injuries that have
been recorded in the first six months of 2015
may, unfortunately, not be a temporary trend.
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It may take law enforcement and legislation to
see to it that this kind of dangerous activity is
more limited than it is now, or we may well see
the number of traffic deaths and injuries on our
roadways continue to increase in the future.