Life in the Fast Lane: Over 42,000 People in the US Died Last Year as a Result of the Automobiles

Are you aware that over 42,000 people died last year in the US as a result of the automobile? Automobiles are responsible for more deaths than virtually any other cause. Isn't that amazing considering that we have the safest roadways and cars than anywhere else in the world? Our highways systems include great design characteristic such as guardrails, highway marking and signs.

42,000 deaths from automobiles accidents! This figure is actually less than the deaths from last year. However, it is more than twenty times higher than the casualties in Iraq and Afghanistan.

Motorcycles:

Death of occupants of a passenger vehicle crash continue to fall each year,
at the same time Motorcycle deaths continue to increase. With the high cost of gas, motorcycles have become very popular but of course an accident on a motorcycle has much more catastrophic results than that of an automobile. Motorcycle accidents account for a high number of brain injuries, broken bones, paralysis and death.

Drinking and Driving:

How does alcohol and driving under the influence contribute to these deaths? Even though the figure you see above looks high we actually have relatively few fatalities per 100-million miles driven on our highways. The sad part of this is that the accidents resulting in deaths that involve alcohol are amongst the highest in the world.

According to data from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), in 2006, 17,602 people were killed in alcohol-related crashes - an average of one every half-hour. These deaths constituted approximately 41 percent of the 42,642 total traffic fatalities. Drunk (those at or above an illegal BAC of .08) drivers were involved in 13,470 fatalities in 2006.
This information came from MADD. http://www.madd.org/stat/1786

Teenagers:

Persons between the age of 16 and 24 years comprise about 20% of the total licensed population and they travel about 20% of the total miles on our highways.

Maybe you have seen the commercial on T.V. recently showing a line of teenage drivers driving down the highway of no return? Teenage drivers between the age of 16 and 19 have death rates four times that of a driver between the ages of 25 thru 29. This may cause you to shiver if you have a teenage driver; the number one killer of teenagers is the automobile.

Around 6,000 teenage drivers are killed in automobile accidents each year. Worse that than these young people cause about 42% of all fatal alcohol related crashes.

Many traffic accidents are preventable.
The first and foremost of course is not to drive when you have been drinking. Have a designated driver or take a cab if you are in the party mood.
How many of us have had near misses while talking on the phone or text messaging, playing with the radio or CD player, reading a map or putting on makeup.
None of these things should be done while driving but I bet all of us have done at least one of them. Hopefully you were lucky and didn't cause an accident.

You may find the link below interesting. Famous people who died in automobile mishaps.
http://www.who2.com/deathbycarcrash.html