Automobile travel is the preferred method of transportation for tens of millions of people throughout the country. Every day in Ponca City and other similar places across the U.S., people get in their motor vehicles and travel to work, school and a wide variety of other places. Whether a person is driving a car, SUV or truck, they have some risk of injury or even death from a motor vehicle accident.
What does the most recent data show about fatal accidents? According to data compiled by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), estimated figures show that 2015 may not go down as a good year when it comes to fatal motor vehicle accidents. The projected statistics for the first half of the year show that auto accidents killed 16,225 people in the U.S. That number represents a big jump of 8.1 percent relative to the 15,014 motor vehicle fatalities for the same period in 2014.
Not all regions of the country fared the same for the 2015 accident estimates. For example, Oklahoma's region, which also includes New Mexico, Texas, Louisiana and Mississippi, had an increase in fatal accidents of just about one percent compared to the first half of last year. By contrast, another five-state region of the country had an increase of 16 percent in fatal accidents between the first half of 2014 and same period this year.
While the projected fatality increase in the first six months of 2015 is alarming, it is slightly mitigated by the fact that vehicle miles traveled also increased 3.5 percent between the 2014 and 2015 periods. Thus, some of the rise in fatalities can likely be attributed to that increase in miles traveled.
Drivers in Oklahoma should do all that they can to drive safely and help reverse the increasing number of fatal accidents. All drivers have a responsibility to each other to help make the roads as safe as possible.
When the negligence of another driver leads to a fatality, the surviving family members of the victim may be able to pursue a wrongful death cause of action against that driver. No amount of legal compensation can replace the loss of a loved one, but it can help the surviving family members try to move on with their lives.
Source: NHTSA, "Early Estimate of Motor Vehicle Traffic Fatalities for the First Half (Jan -Jun) of 2015," Accessed on Dec. 10, 2015
