Austin Car Accident Lawyers That Can Help
A recent report says 2015 is likely to see more fatal car and truck accidents than any year since 2007. Worse for Texans is that there were more traffic fatalities in the Lone Star State during the first six months of the year than in any other state in the country.
The National Safety Council (NSC) says there were 1,643 traffic deaths in Texas through June this year. The total puts Texas far out ahead of California’s 1,566 car accident deaths and Florida’s 1,441 fatalities, the only other states exceeding 1,000 for the six-month period.
Overall, fatal traffic accidents from January through June are up 14 percent across the country compared to the same period a year ago. Injuries in accidents have also jumped, with about 2.25 million injuries that required medical treatment reflecting a 30 percent increase for January-June 2015 compared to 2014. The NSC didn’t release injury numbers for individual states.
The cost of deaths, injuries and property damage in crashes for the first six months of the year has climbed by 24 percent in the same period to $152 billion. The current rate of motor vehicle fatalities puts the country on the road to more than 40,000 traffic deaths this year, making 2015 the most deadly since 2007.
The NSC blames the increase in fatal accidents on lower gas prices and a rising economy, which have put more people behind the wheel for more frequent commutes and longer vacations. Indeed, a new study by the Texas A&M Transportation Institute and big-data tech company INRIX says traffic congestion has reached pre-recession levels.
Texas A&M and INRIX researchers’2015 Urban Mobility Scorecard says delays caused by traffic congestion cost drivers more than 3 billion gallons of wasted fuel and nearly seven billion extra hours in their vehicles – 42 hours per rush-hour commuter – in 2014.
That report ranks San Jose as No. 5 on the list of gridlock-plagued cities, with 67 hours of delay per commuter. Washington, D.C., is No. 1 with 82 hours of delay, followed by Los Angeles with 80 hours and San Francisco at 78 hours. Austin ranked 12thworst with 52 hours of delays per commuter. Houston also ranks among the worst for traffic delays, excess fuel consumed, excess travel time and stress.
Increased congestion is due to economic growth, migration to centers of growth and the nation’s inability to build roads, bridges, and other infrastructure required to handle it all, an Associated Press report says.
The upshot of all this is that drivers bear even more responsibility for the safety of themselves and their fellow motorists, pedestrians, cyclists and anyone else on the road. It’s important for every driver to drive defensively to prevent accidents. We can avoid the negligence, recklessness and human error that cause most car accidents.
Dedicated Austin Car Accident Lawyers
We can all do our part but, unfortunately, we can’t do it for other drivers. Negligent drivers will always pose a hazard to others. At , our Austin car accident lawyers work to right the wrong done to car accident victims harmed in accidents caused by negligent drivers. If you have been injured or lost a loved one in a car crash that was not your fault, contact us to discuss your legal options today.
