People traveling on the roads in Denver and Chicago are at a greater risk of accidents than ever. Statistics show that roads are more dangerous now than a decade ago.
What’s happening on roads?
Over the past two years, more people have relied on their own vehicles to get from one place to another. As a result, the roads have become even more congested than ever.
With the sheer number of vehicles taking to the roads, it’s only natural that more car accidents would occur. Some drivers also get impatient when traffic gets bad and might end up driving recklessly and aggressively. Road rage happens as a result. Some people become distracted while driving. Others deliberately disregard the laws and rules of traffic. All of these factors contribute to serious crashes taking place.
What has the NHTSA found?
The National Highway Transportation Safety Administration reported that since 2020, the number of fatalities stemming from car accidents has jumped 10.5%. This is in contrast to what it predicted at the start of 2020, which was that the number of deaths from road accidents would decrease by 2%.
The numbers jumped even higher between 2020 and 2021. Within the first quarter of 2021, around 8,730 people were killed in car accidents, according to the NHTSA. The prior year, around 7,900 deaths occurred as a result of crashes.
The NHTSA is aiming to stop the problems that lead to deaths from car accidents. It wants to curb behaviors that are known to be dangerous behind the wheel, including distracted driving, drowsy driving, impaired driving, not wearing a seatbelt and more. It believes that taking measures to stop these and other dangerous practices behind the wheel or as a passenger can reduce the number of accidents and fatalities.
Injuries from car accidents can be life-changing. It’s important to hold the at-fault driver accountable for your damages.