There are so many dangers out on the road. Some of them are relatively new, as the recent wave of technological improvements in our society have led to people using cellphones, televisions, and other entertainment devices while they drive. This is obviously a terrible behavior that pushes the boundaries of negligence. And yet, distracted driving continues to be a major problem.
It isn’t the only problem though, and it can be seen in recent years of motor vehicle accident fatality data. Before 1963, the number of motor vehicle accident fatalities never jumped beyond the 40,000 death figure per year. But then from 1963 to 1991, the number of people that died in motor vehicle accidents every year remained above 40,000, and there were large chunks of time where the fatality rate was above 50,000 (hitting an all-time high of 54,589 deaths in 1972).
Since 2008, the fatality numbers have been in a much better place, never eclipsing 40,000. We hit a modern-era low in 2011 with only 32,479 people dying in motor vehicle accidents that year.
But in the last two years, something has changed. In 2015, 35,485 people died in motor vehicle accidents, with the number rising still in 2016 with 37,461 deaths. There are a lot of potential factors that could be leading to this increase in motor vehicle deaths. Whatever the reason though, there will still be innocent victims hurt or killed in car accidents. They or their loved ones should consider their legal options in the wake of such an incident.