Car Accident Statistics That Might Interest You

People in the United States spend a lot of time in their cars. In fact, the majority of Americans commute to work or school by car. There are about 247 million registered vehicles on the road today and over 815 billion vehicle miles travelled every year.

All this driving makes automotive safety a top priority for everyone involved: drivers, passengers and manufacturers alike. To improve automotive safety and raise awareness about preventable accidents, here are some interesting car accident statistics that might interest you.

Death Rate In The Past

The annual death rate from automobile accidents has fallen considerably since 1950 - it's plummeted by almost two-thirds. The number of people who die each year because of motor-vehicle crashes is down to around 30,000 - that's only one in 10,000 licensed drivers in the U.S. For instance, according to Kansas City car accident stats, in Kansas, the death rate per 100,000 vehicles dropped from 17 in 1960 to 2 in 2013.

Price Tag

Sixty cents of every dollar spent on motor vehicle insurance goes to cover the cost of damages caused by car accidents. The average claim settlement for bodily injury and related costs reached $30,948 according to a 2013 report by CRICO Strategies PBC. On top of this, property damage costs add up too - when you total them all together, car crashes end up costing an eye-watering $277 billion every year!

Time Lost

With approximately 6 million people injured or killed each year because of vehicle collisions, it shouldn't come as much of a surprise that they also cause nearly 6 billion hours of lost time. That's the equivalent of more than 3 million full-time jobs!

Speeding and Traffic Tickets

Research shows that about 70% of Americans say they exceed the speed limit from time to time or when no one's looking; speeding tickets are issued every two seconds in America; and police issue over 40,000 tickets per day for exceeding the speed limit by at least 15 MPH.

Distracted Driving Statistics by Age Group

Despite their increased risk of getting into an accident, drivers between the ages of 16-24 are the least likely to use hands-free devices or Bluetooth when talking on cell phones while driving - only about 15% do so. In contrast, over 80% of seniors 65 years and older and drivers 34-46 use these technologies when chatting behind the wheel.

More Distracted Driving Statistics (Drivers using hands-free devices)

According to research, drivers who use their cell phones' hands-free mode actually spend more time glancing at their devices than those who don't. It has also been found that hands-free devices, even if technically legal and considered "safer" by many drivers, increase the risk of accidents and traffic violations - cell phone use is one of the most significant sources of driver distraction.

Distracted Driving Statistics (Drivers using their phones to navigate)

Research shows that using a GPS or other similar navigation function could pose real risks for drivers. In fact, researchers at Ohio State University found that young men who used in-car GPS systems were four times as likely to get into crashes serious enough to cause injury than those who didn't make use of this technology. And among middle-aged adults (ages 35 – 54), there was a threefold increase in crash risk when they used in-car systems.

Distracted Driving Statistics (Drivers using their phones to read email or send texts)

In a study conducted by the University of Utah, it was found that reading a text message while driving slows your reaction time more than having a blood alcohol concentration at the legal limit - and makes you 23 times more likely to get into an accident! In another survey of almost 400 teenagers between the ages of 12 and 17 years old, 94% said they had been in a car when the driver took his or her eyes off the road to use a cell phone; 45% stated that this happened often or fairly often. And according to Consumer Reports, drivers who text are six times as likely as other motorists to get into crashes serious enough to cause injury.

Distracted Driving Statistics (Drivers timing their driving to incoming messages)

According to research conducted by the Virginia Tech Transportation Institute, any activity that takes your mind off driving - including programming a GPS system or sending texts - is distracting and adds unnecessary risk while behind the wheel. And in fact, when drivers time their arrival at an intersection based on information they received in an incoming text message, they are 23 times more likely to get into a crash than if they had simply focused on driving without distraction.

Distracted Driving Statistics (Drivers who type texts vs. read them)

Research shows that most people believe typing or entering text was less likely to distract them from the task of driving compared to reading a text. However, reaction time was found to be 40 per cent longer with typing and entering text than without distraction; this not only increases reaction times but also makes it harder for drivers to process what they see and make decisions accordingly.

Distracted Driving Statistics (Drivers using their phones to take videos or photos)

Research shows that there is a considerable risk involved in taking your attention away from the road while driving just to snap some pictures or record some video - motorists who try this are more likely to crash as a result of being preoccupied with their devices. And those who have been caught snapping photos behind the wheel have paid some hefty fines, too: In New York State, for example, a first offence can cost you up to $300.

Distracted Driving Statistics (Drivers who text vs. send emails)

In a study conducted by the Cohen Children's Medical Center in New York, it was found that sending or reading an email has about the same effect on drivers as talking on a cell phone; this is much more than just taking your eyes off the road for five seconds, which can significantly increase reaction time - in fact, when drivers read or sent text messages while driving they were found to be 23 times more likely to get into crashes serious enough to cause injury.

Distracted Driving Statistics (Drivers under 18 years old)

Research shows that teens are three times more likely to use their phones when behind the wheel than other drivers. However, only half of the drivers between the ages of 18 to 20 say they never text and drive; also, almost one-fifth (18 percent) of young people age 21 to 24 said they do it every day or nearly every day. And this is very dangerous behaviour - in fact, among teen drivers who use their phones while driving, an average of 58 percent admit to reading texts and emails while driving; 48 percent report typing texts; 41 percent have sent texts and 30 have posted photos online.

Distracted Driving Statistics (Drivers with children vs. those without)

In a survey conducted by Liberty Mutual Insurance Group, two-thirds of parents with teens reported feeling stressed out about having their kids at the wheel because it's unsafe for them to drive if they're always on their phones. This is perhaps one of the reasons for this statistic: Drivers with kids under 18 are three times more likely to text behind the wheel, compared to those without children.

In conclusion, there are many distracted driving statistics that show just how dangerous it can be to engage in certain activities while behind the wheel - those who have been caught doing so (even if this activity wasn't illegal) and/or caused a car accident, as a result, would certainly agree.