U.S. traffic fatalities jumped way up last year. Drive safe out there!

[MetroMPG]

The National Safety Council’s annual report on traffic deaths estimates that 40,200 people died in U.S. car crashes in 2016, which is up six percent from 2015 estimates, and a total increase of a terrifying 14 percent in just two years.


Additionally, the NHTSA claims that half of traffic fatalities are related to passengers not buckling their seatbelts, and around a third of estimated fatalities involved alcohol or drug impairment, according to The New York Times. The last time annual traffic deaths eclipsed 40,000 people was back in 2007, and despite the advancement of automotive safety features over the last decade, we’re going backwards.

From: Annual Traffic Deaths Rose To A Terrifying 40,200 People Last Year

And apparently, even when controlling for vehicle miles driven, the trend is going in the wrong direction (from a comment posted under that article):

Buried in the actual report (not the NY times article referenced)
“The estimated annual mileage death rate is 1.25 deaths per 100 million vehicle miles traveled, an increase of 3% from the 2015 rate.”

Drive safe out there!!

To prevent complacency, I make YouTube dashcam crash video compilations a regular part of my time-wasting/entertainment diet. (Good discussion here: http://ecomodder.com/forum/showthrea...war-34103.html)

[nemo]

Given how people drive around here it's not all that surprising.

[barbierij]

people are morons and the car manufacturers are making cars for morons who cant see the car in front of them or next to them.

[rmay635703]

A large percentage of the deaths are from the increase in highway deaths.

In our state the increase is directly related to an increase in deaths where highway speed limits have been increased.

As states increase speed limits to close the road funding gaps expect more highway deaths.

Trump is in the whitehouse republicans in all 3 branches of government, so expect roadway speeds to increase
(because obviously increasing funding isn't a tax increase)
and "personal responsibility " to rule the day.

[Daschicken]

Given the rise in popularity of texting/instagram, and other phone related distractions, this is to be expected. Although it is scary to see it actually coming true.

I love watching dashcam crash and bad driving videos. They really open up your eyes to how crashes happen, and how F***ing easy they are to prevent. One that seems really common is when traffic is piled up and stopped in the left lane of an intersection while the right lane is clear, idiot #1 comes FLYING BY in the right lane, meanwhile idiot #2 blindly turns in front of idiot #1 and gets t-boned. They don't even hesitate to look!

I think it should be mandatory for driving schools to give take home assignments in the form of car crash videos, have the students analyze them and see how to predict and prevent those situations. They have the potential to make so many people better drivers.

[MetroMPG]

I love watching dashcam crash and bad driving videos. They really open up your eyes to how crashes happen, and how F***ing easy they are to prevent.

Same here.

PRO-TIP! I like playing the game of "predict the crash!" with my new-to-driving nephews. But make sure to watch foreign language ones... or if you're watching domestic ones, turn the volume down! Lots and lotsa swears.

[Fat Charlie]

Well, my kids just got a new category of videos to watch.

[acparker]

It would be more useful if the statistics were accompanied by a breakdown of causes.

I would tend to blame distracted driving more than increased speed limits, however, the State Legislature here mandated increasing speed limits on interstate highways inside congested urban areas to 70 mph a few years ago, against the advice of experts. It is very difficult to merge into heavy traffic when it is going by at 70 or faster and the best you can make at the end of a steep onramp is 55 or 60.

Rural speeds are a different matter. Most rural freeways in the state are posted at 80 mph, which is fine with me -- and the experts. When I was a kid, it took 11 hours to drive between Salt Lake City and St. George. Now, you can drive it easily in less than half the time and much more safely (thank-you Pres. Eisenhower). I do miss stopping in Fillmore for dinner.

It could also be that more people are driving more frequently and further because of the generally lower gas prices.

[Fingie]

Here in finland, we are pretty egoistic in our cars, and have a aggressive driving as a collective mindset.

Suprisingly, fatal accidents are relatively low here due to inspections on cars, and low speed limits. We only have a couple highways with a 120Km/h speed limit, it's mostly 100.across the country.

On winters the max speed on highways is 80km/h

We have a lot of mooses, but we dont have animal-caused accidents a lot, either.

(Never dodge for animals smaller than a young deer)


Our garbage man swerved for a fox and drove the truck in a ditch. Oh boy he was pissed

[rmay635703]

Originally Posted by acparker

It would be more useful if the statistics were accompanied by a breakdown of causes.

It could also be that more people are driving more frequently and further because of the generally lower gas prices.

Wisconsin lists the increase as highway deaths and it directly correlates to the increase in speed limits.

Deaths per mile traveled have gone up so throw that out as well.

Single vehicle accidents and rear ended accidents have increase as well (meaning distracted driving is just as deadly on the highway as it is in the city.)

And to think a $3 device could eliminate most distracted driving