Every year automotive manufacturers release new models of their vehicles and sometimes even new vehicles altogether that drivers in Georgia and around the nation often eagerly await. These new vehicle introductions may offer improvements on prior years’ models in many categories including safety. Technology continues to evolve at a rapid pace and many of these innovations offer the opportunity for vehicles to become safer. Sadly, as vehicle safety may be improving, more people are dying on Georgia’s roads.
According to data provided by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, 2016 marked a particularly deadly year across the state with 1,554 total vehicular fatalities. That is a significant jump over the 1,432 deaths the prior year and the 1,164 deaths in 2014. In fact, the state has not seen that many deaths since 2007 when more than 1,600 people were killed in auto wrecks.
Fatality increases were seen in many categories including drunk driving accidents. In 2014, 279 people died at the hands of drunk drivers. In 2016, drunk driving deaths numbered 368. Motorcyclists and pedestrians together have experienced a spike in deaths. For motorcyclists, the number of people killed has increased every year since 2013 when 116 bikers were killed to 2016 when 172 died. In 2014, there were 163 people on foot killed in auto accidents. The following two years saw pedestrian deaths increase first to 194 and then to 232.
If you would like to learn more about how you or a loved one might be able to get help after a serious vehicle accident, please feel free to visit the crash compensation assistance page of our Georgia personal injury and motor vehicle accident website.
