Approximately $230.6 billion of economic losses to the nation each year are attributed to traffic accidents. A recent article suggested that more than 90 percent of all deaths are due to fatalities in transportation-related incidents. The effects of personal injury and death from vehicular accidents are among the issues that can have an immense impact on Florida residents, and society, as a whole.
The cost of auto insurance is also affected by traffic accident statistics, as well as by vehicle type and drivers’ habits of safety. Insurance companies often support safe driving initiatives because these programs and campaigns serve the public good and keep insurance costs down. There have been more than six million police-reported car accidents in the United States in a single year.
Reportedly, 65 percent of those killed in vehicular crashes were in automobiles at the time. According to the Federal Highway Administration, intersections pose the greatest danger insofar as highway safety is concerned. The administration suggests that the high risk in intersections is directly related to the fact the drivers often cross into the path of other motorists; it is also difficult to evade an accident when another driver commits a negligent or wrongful act, such as running a red light or stop sign when attempting to navigate the confines of an intersection.
In Florida, when a personal injury does occur in a motor vehicle accident, the injured victim sometimes suffers unexpected financial stress during recovery due to medical bills, physical therapy, loss of employment wages or other costs associated with the accident. In such cases, the injured person has a right to file a legal claim against the party at-fault in the collision. In a successfully litigated case, the compensation awarded by the court could be used to help alleviate financial expenses.
Source: safemotorist.com, “The Effects of Traffic Crashes“, Accessed on July 10, 2015
