To put into perspective just how integral driving has become in our society, consider the following: in 1980, motor vehicles in the United States traveled approximately 1˳527 trillion miles on the nation’s roads and highways˳ In 2007 that number reached an all-time high of 3˳032 trillion miles˳ That is a number that is difficult to grasp, but it means that American drivers put enough miles on their vehicles in 2007 to travel to the sun and back 16,310 times˳ Given this simply staggering amount of driving it is unavoidable that there will be a considerable amount of motor vehicle accidents, and each year millions of drivers are forced to contend with this harsh reality˳ One point of encouragement is that the rate of injuries per accident has been experiencing a steady decline˳ This is of little comfort to those who are hurt in an accident caused by another party’s negligence, however˳
There are many different factors that affect the severity of an accident˳ Vehicles that are equipped with more safety features are obviously more likely to protect their occupants than those which have fewer; crashes involving intoxicated motorists are apt to be more severe because of that person’s inability to appropriately respond to looming dangers; and the speed and angle of impact at the time of a collision also shape a car accident’s effects˳ Understanding your legal rights can help you to determine whether it might be appropriate for you to file a lawsuit against a negligent driver or carmaker for the injuries that you have suffered˳
A Promising Sign and a Widespread Problem
It is certainly encouraging to observe that the rate of injury in motor vehicle accidents appears to be consistently shrinking˳ But it is important not to lose sight of the fact that millions of lives are still affected by the negligence of another motorist or company each and every year˳ The following statistics regarding the incidence of injuries in automobile accidents were gathered and reported by the National Highway Transportation Safety Administration for the period from 1999-2008:
- 1999- 51˳5 % (3,236,238 injuries)
- 2000 – 49˳87 % (3,188,750 injuries)
- 2001 – 47˳96 % (3,032,672 injuries)
- 2002 – 46˳33 % (2,926,000 injuries)
- 2003 – 45˳65 % (2,889,000 injuries)
- 2004 – 45˳11 % (2,788,000 injuries)
- 2005 – 43˳82 % (2,699,000 injuries)
- 2006 – 43˳11 % (2,575,000 injuries)
- 2007 – 41˳35 % (2,491,000 injuries)
- 2008 – 40˳37 % (2,346,000 injuries)
For Legal Advice Regarding Your Rights
You may be able to file a civil lawsuit seeking financial compensation for your injuries˳ Contact the Stevens Point car accident lawyers of Habush Habush & Rottier, S˳C˳, to discuss your potential case with a skilled and experienced attorney˳
Source by https://ezinearticles˳com/?Car-Accident-Injury-Trends-For-1999-2008&id=4207158
