A new study released by the AAA Foundation for Traffic Safety (AAA) claims that fatal hit and run accidents continue to increase. As the name implies, a hit and run crash is where a motor vehicle strikes someone else and leaves the scene. According to AAA, fatal hit and runs have increased by 7 percent each year since 2009. Almost 65 percent of the victims were cyclists and pedestrians. In 2016, an astonishing 2,049 people died in hit and run crashes – the highest number on record. An average of 682,000 hit and run crashes occur each year. Why are hit and runs increasing? There could be a few possible causes, such as: More vehicles and cyclists on the road. An increase in mobile phone use during the last decade. Some motorists may be so distracted by their phones that they are unaware when they hit cyclists or pedestrians. Some…
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The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) released statistics that suggest traffic deaths increased for cyclists, motorcyclists and pedestrians in recent years. These groups are also called “vulnerable road users”. NHTSA’s most recent statistics, which cover traffic fatalities for 2015, show the following trends: Pedestrian deaths increased by 9.5 percent from 2014 to 2015. According to NHTSA’s findings, 5376 pedestrians died from collisions with motor vehicles during 2015. This is the highest number of recorded pedestrian deaths since 1996. Bicyclist fatalities increased by more than 12 percent from 2014 to 2015. NHTSA statistics show that 818 cyclists died during 2015. This is the highest number of bicycle deaths since 1995. Fatal motorcycle accidents increased by 8.3 percent between 2014 and 2015. More than 4,970 motorcyclists died in accidents during this period. NHTSA found several reasons why traffic fatalities increased between 2014 and 2015. Fatal distracted driving accidents increased by 8.8…
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The Governors Highway Safety Association (GHSA) has published a new report on fatal pedestrian accidents in the US. According to the new report, pedestrian deaths have increased over the past decade while other types of traffic accidents have decreased. GHSA’s report shows there were 4,699 fatal pedestrian accidents in 2007. Just under 6,000 pedestrians died in 2017, which is roughly the same number of deaths that occurred during 2016. The report also lists several factors that may be responsible for pedestrian deaths each year. According to GHSA, states that legalized marijuana for recreational usage saw a collective 16.4 percent increase in fatal pedestrian accidents. Additional factors identified by GHSA and other organizations include speeding, distracted driving, distracted walking, alcohol usage and more cars on the road. What Can Pedestrians Do to Protect Themselves? It goes without saying that pedestrians are extremely vulnerable when they are walking or riding near motor…
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