Summertime traffic accident data concludes what police officers and road patrol units already know — July and August are the deadliest months on U.S. roadways as they typically see the most car accidents in Boston and elsewhere throughout the country.
An annual analysis of traffic collisions in Indiana reveals that of the 701 fatal accidents, one in five of them occurred in either July or August, according to Pharos-Tribune.
Our Massachusetts personal injury attorneys understand that many residents and visitors will be hitting our roadways through the remainder of summer to enjoy summer vacations and the warm summer weather. After a few consecutive years of declining traffic fatality numbers, recent numbers have not been so uplifting. Even Indiana has seen a significant increase in both passenger vehicle and motorcycle fatalities, especially during the summer months.
As a matter of fact, U.S. roadways in 2010 witnessed the lowest number and rate of fatal traffic accidents since 1949. Our country was able to experience these low fatality numbers even though the number of miles that Americans drove during the year increased significantly.
“Last year’s drop in traffic fatalities is welcome news and it proves that we can make a difference,” said U.S. Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood. “Still, too many of our friends and neighbors are killed in preventable roadway tragedies every day. We will continue doing everything possible to make cars safer, increase seat belt use, put a stop to drunk driving and distracted driving and encourage drivers to put safety first.”
The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) projected that there was a near 5 percent decrease in the number of traffic fatalities between 2009 and 2010.
“The decrease in traffic fatalities is a good sign, but we are always working to save lives,” said NHTSA Administrator David Strickland. “NHTSA will continue pressing forward on all of our safety initiatives to make sure our roads are as safe as they can possibly be.”
In an effort to stop some of these potentially fatal traffic accidents, the Massachusetts State Police will be conducting a number of random sobriety check points.
“Too many of our friends and neighbors are killed in preventable roadway tragedies every day. We will continue doing everything possible to make cars safer, increase seat belt use, put a stop to drunk driving and distracted driving and encourage drivers to put safety first,” said U.S. Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood.
In 2008 alone, there were nearly 400 traffic fatalities that occurred in the state of Massachusetts. More than 40 motorcyclists died, 74 pedestrians were killed on our roadways, more than 160 were killed in alcohol-related fatalities and 20 deaths happened because of motor-vehicle accidents that involved a large truck. Most of these accidents happened in Worcester and Middlesex Counties. When this data is broken down into percentages based on the population of each county, Berkshire and Franklin counties had the highest fatal car accident percentages for that year.
While fatality numbers continue to rise slowly, there’s no doubting that the next two months will be some of our deadliest. Motorists are asked to travel with caution and to practice alert and defensive driving habits to help prevent serious injury or death on our roadways.
If you or a loved one has been injured in a car in the Boston area, contact Massachusetts Personal Injury Lawyer Attorney Jeffrey S. Glassman for a free and confidential appointment to discuss your rights. Call (617) 777-7777.
Additional Resources:
Report: Summer months deadliest for motorists, by Maureen Hayden, Pharos-Tribune
More Blog Entries:
The NTSB Releases Most Wanted Drivers List – Includes Boston Drunk Drivers, Boston Personal Injury Attorney Blog, July 8, 2011
Beacon Hill Next to Use Controversial Red-Light Cameras to Decrease Risks of Intersection Car Accidents?, Boston Personal Injury Attorney Blog, July 6, 2011
Services Aim To Reduce Risks of Massachusetts Car Accidents over Holiday Weekend, Boston Personal Injury Attorney Blog, July 1, 2011