Over the past several decades, North Carolina and the rest of the United States has worked to reduce the traffic fatality rates. While progress has been made, data shows that the U.S. still lags behind other high-income countries.
According to a Centers for Disease Control and Prevention report that was issued on July 6, more than 32,000 fatalities occurred from traffic accidents in 2013. That’s the equivalent to about 90 deaths occurring every day.
Since 2000, the U.S. has reduced its fatality rate by 31 percent. While that is good progress, 19 other wealthy countries have reduced their fatality rates by an average of 56 percent during the same time period. When looked at in terms of fatalities per 100,000 people, the U.S. ranked first in number of deaths. According to Vital Signs, 38 percent of the children who were killed were not properly restrained. Besides failing to wear seat belts, other reasons that were attributed to causing the high death rate included alcohol use and speeding.
A car crash may result in serious injuries or deaths. When a person is killed in an accident, the family members who are left behind often suffer a combination of unexpected expenses, substantial financial losses and grief over the loss of their loved one. Such families may want to consult with personal injury attorneys about their loved ones’ accidents. An attorney may assess the facts of what happened and then advise the family regarding the validity of a lawsuit. If the family does file a claim, the lawyer may agree to accept representation and then draft and file the civil complaint.