Gas prices in Ohio and around the country have been relatively low for some time, and this is one of the chief reasons for an increase in U.S. traffic accident fatalities, according to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. While car makers are equipping their vehicles with an ever widening array of sophisticated safety features, the federal agency says this has not been enough to prevent auto accident deaths in 2015 increasing by more than 7 percent compared to 2014 figures. The data was released in an Aug. 26 report that NHTSA hopes will act as a call to action for lawmakers and police departments around the country.
The NHTSA report reveals that 35,092 people were killed on America’s roads in 2015, and significantly higher traffic levels are blamed for the surge in fatalities. The roads are busier because gas is cheap and jobs are more plentiful, and most experts expect oil prices to remain depressed for some time.
Road users who want to avoid being added to these grim statistics may greatly improve their chances of arriving at their destinations alive and well by wearing their safety belts, obeying all posted speed limits and focusing on the road ahead. NHTSA says that almost half of those killed on the nation’s roads in 2015 were not properly restrained, and excessive speed or alcohol consumption was linked to almost a third of all fatal motor vehicle accidents.
Motorists who cause serious accidents while speeding, drunk, distracted or fatigued are often killed or incarcerated, and accident victims sometimes wonder if it is possible to pursue civil remedies in this type of situation. When a negligent individual is beyond the reach of civil courts, personal injury attorneys may seek compensation for those who have been harmed by initiating litigation against the negligent driver’s estate.