Decline In California Motor Vehicle Accident Fatalities In 2010

According to the study by the National Safety Council, a total of 31,740 people were killed in auto accidents between January and November 2010. That was a decline of 4% from 33,180 fatalities during the same period of time in 2009. The rate also declined 13% from the same period of time in 2008. There has been a continual and steady decline in the fatality rate over the past years. The number of fatalities between January and November 2009 was a 9% decrease from the figure in 2008. The 2008 statistics were a 10% decrease from 2007.

Besides, according to the National Safety Council, the annual vehicle mileage death rate is 1.1 fatalities for every 100 million vehicle miles traveled. That is a decrease of 9% from 2009.

California had 2, 454 auto accident fatalities between January and November 2000. That was a decline from 2, 777 fatalities in the same period of time in 2009, and a high of 3,210 fatalities in 2008. Overall, California saw a decrease of 24% in traffic accident fatalities between 2008 and 2010.

This year, the National Safety Council has decided to use "medically consulted injuries" to analyze injury rates for the year. The term "medically consulted injuries" means those injuries that were considered serious enough for the person to seek help from a medical professional. Between January and November 2010, medically consulted injuries in motor vehicle accidents were estimated to be 3.1 million. These injuries are not the same as disabling injuries. The National Safety Council also tabulated the cost of these motor vehicle accidents every year. The cost of these accidents from January to November 2010 was a staggering $216 .5 billion. That includes medical expenses from the accident, costs to the employer, lost wages, lost productivity, administrative costs as well as property damage.

While the statistics are only true for the first 11 months of 2010, California car accident attorneys believe that when we have the final tally for 2010, we will see a significant decline in the fatalities. While that is encouraging news, we need to do more, especially in dealing with new and more complex safety hazards like distracted driving. No one denies that there is a problem with distracted driving. However, existing laws to ban cell phone use and texting while driving have had a limited effect. This has been seen in California, as well as in other states that have enacted bans on texting and hand-held cell phone use while driving. There still remains a lot of confusion about how these bans should be enforced and implemented, so that they can be utilized to their maximum potential to prevent accidents.