Children under the age of 15 years who live in the South have a higher chance of being killed in a motor vehicle accident than in any other region in the United States. Ohio parents might want to know that their region is safer than the South, but it still lags behind other parts of the country.
According to a study that was conducted jointly by researchers from Harvard and the University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center, the deaths are usually linked to accidents on rural roads and restraints that are not properly used. The study is the first of its kind to examine the state-level trends in child auto fatalities and to factor in the variations in geography and state statutes and regulations.
In the 2010 -2014 time period that was used for the study, it was found that a total of 2,885 children died in motor vehicle crashes. This number represents about 16 percent of all of the children involved in fatal wrecks during that time period.
In the South, which had a mortality rate of 1.34 per 100,000 children a year, there were 1,550 child auto fatalities. The safest region, the Northeast, had a mortality rate of 0.38 per 100,000 children per year and a total of 189 child deaths during the review period. The Midwest, with 585 child fatalities, had a mortality rate of 0.89 per 100,000 children per year. In the West, there were 561 child fatalities and a mortality rate of 0.94 per 100,000 children a year.
The family of people of any age who have been killed in car wrecks often has to deal with financial issues along with their grief. Funeral expenses have to be paid, and the contributions that the decedent made to the household budget must somehow be replaced. When the accident was the fault of another driver, an attorney could help the surviving family members seek compensation for their losses through a wrongful death lawsuit.