A vehicle accident is the leading cause of death for teenagers and young adults. Despite the fact that fatalities from vehicle accidents have declined in recent years, there were still 39.404 deaths in 2018.
The summation of the deaths per year is not enough to show what’s actually happening on the roads. A graph showing the number of deaths per year shows that vehicle travel was safer in 1920s than it is now.
A graph showing the number of deaths per year shows that vehicle travel was safer in 1920s than it is now. However, this doesn’t account for the fact that in 1920s, there were far fewer motor vehicle users. Instead, fatal traffic incidents should be measured against the number of people, cars, and miles traveled by cars. 2018 saw:
- 39,404 deaths
- 1.22 deaths per 100 million miles traveled
- 1.42 deaths per 100,000 vehicles registered
- 12.04 deaths per 100,000 people
Comparatively to 2017, 2018:
- The death rate due to mileage fell by 2.4%
- The death rate per car decreased by 4.1%
- The population’s death rate fell by 2.5%
Sorted by Age Group
Adults aged 25-64 are most at risk from vehicle accidents, mainly because they drive the most miles each year.
Young adults (under 24 years old) are at greatest risk of being killed when a car strikes a solid object such as a telephone pole, tree or telephone pole. The highest number of pedestrians killed in an accident involving a vehicle and car is the 75-year-old group
Different types of Crashes
While the majority of car accidents involve vehicle to vehicle collisions, there are still fatalities associated with crashes involving vehicles hitting fixed objects or pedestrians.
Time of Year and Day
Accidents are more frequent during the week than they are on the weekends. However, fatal car accidents are more frequent on weekends, especially in the evenings. In the fall and late summer, there are more fatal car crashes.
Summarized from an article by Rafii & Associates, P.C.
