It’s a confounding conundrum for sure.
Today's cars are safer than they’ve ever been, with increasing numbers of models delivering top scores in what have become stricter crash tests, and offering an array of the latest safety features. We now have airbags in the front, rear and sides of a vehicle, with some even at knee height, mounted between the front seats and incorporated into the rear shoulder belts. There’s backup cameras, lane departure and blind spot warning systems and forward auto-braking systems now being offered on all but the smallest and cheapest models.
And yet, nearly 19,000 lives were lost in traffic accidents over the first six months of 2015, according to preliminary statistics just released by the National Safety Council (NSC). That’s a sizeable 14% increase in fatalities over the same period in 2014. What’s more, over 2.2 million people were seriously injured, which represents a staggering 30% increase. The NSC warns that this year could wind up as the deadliest for motorists and passengers since 2007.
Previously, vehicle-related fatalities had dropped from a peak of 43,510 in 2005 to 32,719 in 2013, according to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, which was largely attributed to improved vehicle engineering in accordance with stricter state DUI, seatbelt use and teen-driving laws.
So what’s the deal?
The NSC says the boost in traffic fatalities and serious injuries is likely an unfortunate byproduct of what has otherwise been good news for consumers. A healthier economy, falling unemployment levels and relatively low gas prices are enabling more vehicles to hit the road and be driven for longer distances. To that end the NSC says there’s been a 3.4% increase in cumulative vehicle mileage registered January through May.
It also means there’s more trucks on the highways than in recent years, which means a greater frequency of commercial vehicle crashes, which generally have more severe consequences than those involving only passenger cars.
We suspect there might also be something to the fact that consumers have been migrating from larger cars and SUVs into smaller and more fuel-efficient sedans and crossovers over the last decade for economic and/or lifestyle considerations. All else being equal, the laws of physics dictate that larger and heavier vehicles tend to afford greater occupant protection in a crash than smaller and lighter ones.
For those keeping score, the NSC says the most traffic-related fatalities over the first six months of the year were registered in Texas (1,643), California (1,566) and Florida (1,441) – not surprisingly among the largest states in the union – with the least in the far less populated District of Columbia (10), Vermont (19) and Rhode Island (21).
Unfortunately the NSF says there’s no easy solution to the problem, other than for all of us to drive defensively, avoid talking/texting on cell phones and keep other distractions to a minimum, drive well rested, always fasten seatbelts, avoid drinking and driving and keep close tabs on teenage drivers.
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