Motor vehicle accident fatalities in Kentucky and across the country have increased alarmingly again according to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. NHTSA's latest fatality report reveals that accidents claimed 37,461 lives in 2016, up 5.6 percent from a year earlier. The death toll is the highest in nine years and continues a worrying trend that experts find difficult to explain. When road deaths increased sharply in 2015 after years of gradual decline, the rise was put down to modern cellphones and distracted driving. However, the NHTSA figures indicate that distracted driving deaths actually fell in 2016.
What happens when you sue after a car accident?
Car accidents can range in severity from minor fender benders to fatal tragedies. No matter how bad a collision appears to be, there may be long-lasting consequences that affect your health and wellbeing after the fact. This is just one reason why it is important not to rule out legal recourse when you are attempting to recover from the trauma of an auto collision.
How car size and weight factor into car accidents
Many Kentucky drivers who have been in car accidents may not realize that the size of their vehicle could have been a factor in how serious their injuries were. This is because larger vehicles are able to absorb more of the impact than smaller vehicles.
Distracted driving is still a major concern
Many Kentucky motorists may have understandable concerns about the prevalence of distracted driving on the roads. A recent study conducted by Progressive Insurance shows that lots of drivers continue engaging in distracted driving despite being aware of its dangers. Understanding some of the attitudes that motorists take toward this matter may help others to be more cautious while driving and have a plan in place in the event that an accident should occur.
Car information technology found to be distracting
Kentucky residents who are in the market for a new car have a dizzying array of options to choose from, including elaborate information and entertainment systems. Some of these systems can handle phone calls and text messaging, play music or DVDs and provide motorists with turn-by-turn driving directions, but they can also cause dangerous cognitive and visual distractions and greatly increase the likelihood of an accident according to a study.
Cellphone use at the root of the distracted driving problem
The number of distracted driving accidents in Kentucky and around the country has risen worryingly in recent years, and rampant cellphone use by drivers is largely to blame, according to road safety groups. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration keeps track of accident statistics in the United States, and the safety agency says that distracted driving accidents left approximately 424,000 road users injured and claimed 3,154 lives in 2013. Experts say that using a cellphone while behind the wheel is especially dangerous because modern electronic devices distract drivers in a number of different ways.
