Downside of Upside:
by Paul A. Eisenstein
After years of decline, the number of deaths on U.S. roads is heading higher. If the trend continues, the U.S. could see the roadway death toll rise to its highest level since 2007, according to the National Safety Council.
The financial impact of traffic accidents, which factors in deaths, injuries and property damage, has also risen sharply, reports the NSC, climbing by 24 percent to $152 billion during the first half of this year compared to 2014.
"Follow the numbers: the trend we are seeing on our roadways is like a flashing red light - danger lies ahead," Deborah A.P. Hersman, president and CEO of the National Safety Council, said in a news release.
The NSC had previously noting that traffic deaths began rising in late 2014, and Monday's report indicated the trend carried over into the new year.
Now, the nonprofit organization reports, a total of nearly 19,000 people were killed in traffic crashes across the country during the first half of 2015, while more than 2.2 million were seriously injured. If that pace holds during the second half, it would result in the deadliest year on U.S. roadways since 2007, when 41,259 people died on the nation's roads.
It's not clear why the death toll has started to rise after years of generally steady decline. The NSC believes two factors are having a particularly strong influence: lower gas prices and an improving economy.
"This generally means an increase in traffic; more people can afford to drive, and many travel longer distances and take vacations," the organization said in a news release.
Other safety experts say the death toll would be even higher were it not for the addition of new, high-tech equipment, such as electronic stability control, on today's vehicles. A crackdown on drinking and driving has also helped, as have laws that mandate seatbelt usage.
Even with the latest, upward trend, the U.S. highway death toll is down almost 40 percent from its peak four decades ago.
That said, there is "no way our country should tolerate 32,917 people dying on our roadways," Mark Rosekind, the new head of federal traffic safety enforcement declared during a visit to Detroit last month. That was the figure for 2013, the last year for which the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration has complete numbers.
The NSC's Hersman said the best step to reduce the toll is to "be a defensive driver and make safe decisions behind the wheel. Your life really depends on it."
Among the NSC's key recommendations:
Make sure every passenger buckles up on every trip;
Designate an alcohol- and drug-free driver or arrange alternate transportation when partying;
Get plenty of sleep and take regular breaks to avoid fatigue;
Never use a cell phone behind the wheel, even hands-free; or text while driving;
Stay engaged in teens' driving habits. Teens are three times as likely to crash as more experienced drivers;
Learn how to properly use your cars safety features.
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SINCE 9/11/2001, WE HAVE LOST VERY FEW PEOPLE TO TERRORIST ACTS. BUT WE LOST 500,000 PEOPLE ON THE DEADLY ROADS. AN ADDITIONAL 5 MILLION HAVE BEEN INJURED. OUR PRIORITIES ARE CLEARLY MISPLACED
UNITED STATES STILL HAS ONE OF THE HIGHEST ROAD ACCIDENT DEATH AND INJURY RATES IN THE WORLD: 34,000 DIE AND 2.5 MILLION INJURED EACH YEAR.
Despite the improvements in road safety, the United States has one of the highest death rates at about 1 person dead per 10,000 people. Unfortunately, only undeveloped countries have higher death rate.
Since 9/11/2001, we have lost very few people to terrorist acts. But we lost 500,000 people on the deadly roads. An additional 5 million have been injured. Our spending priorities are clearly misplaced. Investment in our road infrastructure is what is needed, as the economic toll from all these deaths and injuries and property damage has suffocated our economy.
Thus far this year alone, we have lost 18,000 people and an additional 450,000 people have been injured.
Some states, such as Texas and West Virginia (sorry, WV, despite your tremendous progress in traffic safety, you are still at the top of the worst-death-rate list) have death rates of nearly 1.5 percent, i.e., fifty percent more people die compared to the national death rate.
Approximately 34,000 people are getting killed each year. In the 1950s and 1960s, about 55,000 people used to die on the roads – so, there has been improvement in the number of dead.
However, the number of injured is rising. Roughly 2.5 million are injured (yes, you read it correctly – 2.5 million injured) per year. That is, 1 percent (1%) of the population that is eligible to drive is injured every year.
Speeding, aggressive driving, tail gating, lane changes for no reason, pass on the left to make a quick right turn, no signals or late signaling, weaving through traffic, driving while impaired, driving while tired or sleepy, are just few of the traits of bad drivers. The end result is always death or injury or a very close call.
There has been an increase of the number of deaths and injuries to pedestrians, cyclists, mopeds, and motorcyclists. Motorcycles are less stable and less visible than cars and often have high performance capabilities. When motorcycles crash, their riders lack the protection of an enclosed vehicle, so they're more likely to be injured or killed. The federal government estimates that per mile traveled in 2012, the number of deaths on motorcycles was over 26 times the number in cars.
Unfortunately, there is a small number of drivers who are refusing to wait for a train to pass and they are trying to beat it, with often tragic consequences.
It's not worth the game of chicken. The two, three or four minutes you will spend waiting for the train to pass is not greater than the time spent injuring yourself or your vehicle, or even loss of life.
Elderly drivers cause many accidents. We need to force drivers to take driving refresher courses every 5 years or more often. Drivers must also be tested for eye-sight, hearing, drugs, etc. Many thousands of deaths and hundreds of thousands of injuries would be prevented if we do so. Please remember that a vehicle is a lethal weapon and only a regularly-trained, capable and fit person should operate it.
So, in a nutshell, it is worse than a war zone out there.
So, please be safe and be on the lookout for aggressive drivers, weaving-through-the-traffic drivers, crazy drivers, reckless drivers, sick drivers, medical-condition drivers, sleepy drivers, negligent drivers, stupid drivers, careless drivers, drunk drivers, speeding drivers, drugged drivers, texting drivers, talking-on-the-phone drivers, looking-at-the-GPS drivers, hurry-hurry drivers, tailgating drivers, upset drivers, eating-while-driving drivers, putting-the-lipstick-on-while-driving drivers, elderly drivers, and so on.
As we always say: it is better to arrive late at your current destination, than to arrive early at your final destination. Slow down at intersections, let the aggressive drivers go first, it does not worth it getting you or your family injured or killed.
Drive safely. Learn from these deadly accidents and slow down. IF YOU MUST GO, THEN TAKE IT SLOW.