Car Accident Data Released

Washington, DCThe National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) has released its 2007 Annual Assessment of Motor Vehicle Traffic Crashes, in which fatality counts and estimates of injuries stemming from [car accidents] and other motor vehicle crashes are compared with the counts and estimates from 2006. Although the numbers are down from last year, more than 2 million people were either injured or killed in motor vehicle accidents in 2007.

According to the NHTSA's report, in 2007, 41,059 people were killed in motor vehicle crashes and 2,491,000 were injured. While these numbers represent a decrease from last year, at least two groups saw an increase in the number of fatalities: Motorcycle fatalities increased for the tenth year in a row, reaching their highest level since 1975, and large-truck, bus and other vehicle occupants also saw an increase in the number of fatalities. Furthermore, the number of passenger vehicle occupants injured in rollover crashes increased in 2007.

The NTHSA breaks down the number of fatalities by group: passenger vehicle occupants accounted for 28,933 fatalities in 2007, while nonoccupants (pedestrians and pedalcyclists) accounted for 5,504 fatalities. Motorcyclists had 5,154 fatalities and large-truck, bus and other vehicle occupants had 1,468 fatalities.

The number of people killed in passenger cars in 2007 was 28,933 while the number of people injured in the same time frame was 2,221,000. Of the people killed in passenger cars, 10,194 people died in rollover accidents and 12,998 died in accidents involving alcohol impairment. Approximately 2,000 children aged 15 and under were killed in motor vehicle accidents in 2007.

Although the number of people killed and the number of fatal motor vehicle accidents declined in 2007 from 2006, the number of nonfatal crashes increased as did the number of property-damage-only crashes. Furthermore, despite an overall decrease in the number of fatal car crashes, 14 states and the District of Columbia saw increases in the total number of fatalities, including North Carolina, Alaska, Virginia and Wisconsin.

Meanwhile, the Los Angeles Times reports that although the NHTSA has released an early warning database providing information on serious accidents, including specific products and automobiles linked to the accidents, that information does not include data on tires and child-safety seats. The article notes that it was a series of accidents involving Firestone tires that led to the passage of a law that made the early warning system database possible.

Some manufacturers have allegedly attempted to prevent their information from being publicized by claiming that the data contains trade secrets. So, a person could use the database to look up a type of vehicle involved in a rollover accident, but the information will not include what type of tires were on the vehicle at the time of the accident, even if the tires were believed to have played a role in the car accident.

If you or someone you love was involved in a car accident you could benefit from speaking with a lawyer about your options. A lawyer will be able to sift through the evidence to determine if your accident was the result of a defective vehicle part or if it was the fault of another driver. However, it is a good idea to contact a lawyer as soon as possible—when witnesses can still remember what they saw and when evidence is still available.