How Many Car Accidents per Year in the US
Average Number of Car Accident Deaths and Injuries Per Year from Traffic-Related Accidents
According to the Centers for Disease Control (CDC), more than two million people are injured each year in motor vehicle crashes. Additionally, more than 32,000 people were killed each year in accidents involving motor vehicles. For 2013, the average death rates in traffic crashes in this country were twice the rate of any other high-income countries in the world.
How Many People Die in Car Accidents a Year in the US?
Traffic accidents occur each day in the United States. Traffic accidents cause thousands of injuries and deaths. Below are some of the key statistics regarding motor vehicle accidents in America. The following chart from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration’s (NHTSA) website outlines how many car accidents per year in the US took place from years 2010 to 2016:
How Many Car Accidents Per Year in the US Involve at Least One Death?
The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) compiles data from the national accident records to determine the total number of accidents and vehicle miles travelled each year. In 2016, there were 34,439 fatal accidents reported nationwide. This number of traffic deaths represents an increase in the fatality rate for accidents from 2015 (32,539) and 2014 (30,056).
The number of motor vehicle deaths in 2016 increased from 2015 and 2014. In 2016, 37,461 deaths occurred because of traffic-related accidents. Alcohol was a contributing factor in 10,497 of the vehicle-related deaths that year. Speeding and not wearing a seat belt were another contributing factor in traffic collisions. The number of speeding-related deaths also increased from 2015 and 2014. It is estimated that the number of people who died in accidents involving drivers exceeding the speed limit or driving too fast for conditions totaled 10,111 in 2016.
The number of people who died in car accidents involving a motorcycle totaled 5,286 in 2016. This was a 5.1 percent increase in the number of motorcyclist deaths from the previous year. The number of motorcycle riders between the ages of 15 to 20 years who died in motorcycle accidents that year totaled 254. The NHTSA also records the number of young drivers who die in accidents each year. From the miles traveled in 2016, 1,908 young people died in car collisions.
Fatalities in large truck accidents also increased in 2016 by 5.4 percent. Large truck crashes accounted for 4,317 motor vehicle crash deaths. Approximately 72 percent of the deaths were occupants of other vehicles, and 11 percent of the deaths were non-occupants, such as pedalcyclists or pedestrians.
Pedestrian and Bicyclist Deaths in 2016
In addition to accidents that involve only motor vehicles, the NHTSA tracks vehicle-related deaths that involve pedestrians and pedalcyclists. In 2016, 5,987 pedestrian fatalities were reported nationwide. During the same year, 840 pedalcyclist fatalities were reported nationwide.
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