Car accident statistics are a good way to put driving danger in perspective and can act as a wake up call to those that believe they are invincible on the road. Here are some alerting facts about car accidents that should be taken seriously:
- Motor traffic accidents are expensive. Statistics show that accidents can cause countries nearly 4% of their Gross Natural Product (GNP) on a yearly basis.
- For every 1mph reduction in the speed limit, there is a 2% reduction in the number of average crashes.
Let’s break it down:
- When hit by a vehicle travelling at 20mph, nine out of 10 pedestrians will survive.
- When hit by a vehicle travelling at 30mph, five out of 10 pedestrians will survive.
- When hit by a vehicle travelling at 40mph, only ONE out of 10 pedestrians will survive.
- Studies show that your response and reaction times are equally as bad when driving after being awake for 24hours as they are when you’re considered DUI.
- Teens are less likely to wear seatbelts. In 2018, Over 55% of teens involved in a car accident where not wearing a seat belt.
- Moreover, 30% of those teen drivers who where not wearing a seatbelt had been drinking.
- The first car accident happened in Ohio in 1891, when James Lambert lost control of his gasoline powered buggy and crashed into a hitching post. He suffered minor injuries.
- Many people where outraged when the car radio was introduced because they thought it would be very distracting and therefore dangerous.
- If you’re under 35 and live in the USA, your highest probability of death is from a car accident.
- When in a car crash, reports show that 40% of drivers never even had the chance to hit the brakes during the crash.
- Ever seen the movie “Cars”? The co-writer and director, Joe Ranft, died in a car accident while it was still in production.
- Driving accidents kill over a million people per year.
- Want a 23 times higher chance of crashing? Easy, just text and drive.
- Malaria is not the highest cause of death around the world, road accident are.
- 50 Million people are injured from car accidents yearly around the world.
- The world should be in a hurry to adopt self-driving cars; they could reduce traffic accidents by over 90%.
- Almost 40% of kids under 12 years old involved in car accidents where not wearing a seatbelt.
- After 9/11, there was unusual amount of fatal traffic accidents because Americans chose to drive instead of fly due to fear.
- It takes a good airbag only 30 milliseconds to fully inflate
- You are 11 times more likely to be in a fatal car accident if your BAC is .08 or higher.
- At a .08 BAC it would take 6 hours for your body to completely eliminate the alcohol from its system.
21. Nearly ¾ of fatal crashes between midnight and 3AM involve alcohol.
- Close to 3 out of 4 drunk drivers do not wear seatbelts when they are involved in fatal collisions.
- Often times, other drugs are used in combination with alcohol in fatal motor vehicle collision. 18% of the time drugs other than alcohol such as marijuana or cocaine are the cause of fatal accidents.
- It takes a 170-pound male 3-4 beers to be over the legal drinking limit and it takes an average size woman just 1-3 beers.
- South Africa has the highest rate of fatal driving deaths.
- In the United States, 31 percent of all road deaths are due to excessive drinking.
- In South Africa, 58 percent of road deaths are due to drinking under the influence.
- The total costs of driving deaths in the US are an estimated $50 Billion dollars.
- Nearly 10% of the US population has admitted to driving under the influence at least once in their life.
- Driving deaths have fallen by 50% since MADD was founded in 1980.
- The average drunk driver has driven over 80 times before their first arrest.
- The first drunk driving incident was by a taxi driver in 1897, he slammed his cab into a building and was charged 25 shillings.
- The 4th of July is the most deadly day to drink under the influence.
- New Years Eve has more DUI arrests than any other day of the year.
- The reaction time of a teen using a cell phone is the same as a 70 year old who isn’t using one.
- The average text takes 5 seconds to read and it would take 5 seconds drive through a football field at 55 mph.
- In the UK and US, people who drive station wagons are over 50% less likely to be involved in a fatal car accident because they’re safer on the roads and tend to not take as many risks.
- In 1904, the very first speeding ticket was issued for a driver going 12 mph.
- Between midnight and 3a.m. is the most dangerous time to drive.
- Most car accidents happen within 3 miles of the drivers home.
- The average driver will curse over 32,000 in their lifetime from road rage.
- Wyoming is the state with the highest motor vehicle death rate in the US at 24.7 deaths per 100,000 people
- Rhode Island is the state with the lowest motor vehicle death rate in the US at 24.7 deaths per 100,000 people
- The likelihood of injury is extremely high in motorcycle accidents: 98% of multiple vehicle collisions and 96% of the single vehicle accidents resulted in some kind of injury to the motorcycle rider; 45% resulted in more than a minor injury.
- 2% of fatalities caused by distracted driving are due to drivers adjusting both audio and climate controls
- 1% of distracted driving fatalities relate to lighting or putting out a cigarette while driving.
- People have tried to sue Apple for car accident cases involving drivers on FaceTime.
- Eating, reading and putting on makeup increase the chances of an accident by up to three times.
- Crashes cost the U.S. $230.6 billion per year, or an average of $820 per person
- Males were more likely than females (15.1% vs. 7.9%) to drive drunk.
- People not wearing a seatbelt are 30 times more likely to be ejected from the vehicle during a crash.
