Are Car Accident Death Statistics Misleading?

For the fifth consecutive year, fatalities from car accidents have decreased nationally, with the exception of 19 states, according to USA Today. California decreased for the fifth consecutive year as well. Some smaller states, however, had opposite statistics. Connecticut experienced a 42% increase in car accident fatalities, while the nation as a whole experienced a 2.9% decline.

Experts try to downplay these one year statistical abnormalities and look at the bigger picture.

“You don’t want to make a big conclusion based on just one year,” says Jonathan Adkins of the Governors Highway Safety Association. “You need to really look at three to five years to see if there was a trend or if it was a blip.”

North Dakota saw a 25% decrease last year, but the numbers are so small in that state that experts don’t take that into much consideration. Some argue that the year-to-year climate in some states plays a role in deceiving stats. New Hampshire, for example had a 16% increase last year in fatalities.

“We did have some bad weather in 2010,” said Peter Thompson, coordinator of the New Hampshire Highway Safety Agency. “That may have been a part of it.”

Do you think these numbers are deceiving or some states simply have more dangerous roadways?

Bonnici Law Group, APC—San Diego personal injury attorney.