Ohio motorists might be surprised to learn that the rate of deaths in traffic collisions rose by 7.2 percent last year. According to recent research by the National Safety Council, there was another 9-percent uptick during the first six months of 2016. In response to the increasing fatality rates, the U.S. Department of Transportation has announced a new goal of reducing the number of traffic deaths to zero within 30 years.
The DOT plan will first focus on decreasing the number of drunk driving and distracted driving accidents, increasing seat belt use and installing rumble strips. The department’s efforts may be helped by the advent of autonomous vehicles and other advances in car safety technology.
According to some researchers, 94 percent of motor vehicle crashes happen because of human errors. Autonomous cars, which seek to eliminate human error, should help to greatly reduce the number of accidents that occur. The idea of working toward reaching zero traffic fatalities was first implemented in Sweden in 1997. Other countries and several U.S. cities have also implemented their own zero-fatality plans since that time.
Car accidents claim the lives of many people every year in Ohio and in the rest of the United States. Someone who has been seriously injured by a negligent motorist might want to consider filing a personal injury civil lawsuit. Through a lawsuit, a plaintiff might recover damages that provide fair compensation. A personal injury attorney might help in drafting the civil complaint and filing it on behalf of the client. The lawyer may then litigate in an effort to recover the maximum recovery amount.