Chicago Accident and Injury Lawyer Blog

The U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT) released news of the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration's newest set of statistics last week: 2010 fatality and injury data "showing that highway deaths fell to 32,885, for the year [2010], the lowest since 1949." As Chicago car crash attorneys, we are happy to hear this news. We know that car crashes leading to serious injuries and traffic deaths are devastating for the surviving family and often result in serious, debilitating injuries to other individuals involved in the crash as well.

One of the most significant aspect of the DOT's findings, in our opinion, is that the decline in "traffic fatalities occurred even as American drivers traveled nearly 46 billion more miles during the year, an increase of 1.6 percent over the 2009 level." The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) also found that 2010 had the "lowest fatality rate ever recorded, with 1.10 deaths per 100 million vehicle miles traveled in 2010." Sadly, however, during this same time period "fatalities rose among pedestrians, motorcycle riders, and large truck occupants." More information can be found in the DOT's press release, U.S. Transportation Secretary LaHood Announces Lowest Level Of Annual Traffic Fatalities In More Than Six Decades.

NHTSA also explained that it is changing how it measures fatalities related to distracted driving, calling them now "distraction-affected crashes," in order to better collect and report information on distracted driving. The change in methodology makes it impossible to compare distraction-affected crashes to older statistics. However, an "observational survey of drivers in traffic remains unchanged between 2009 and 2010, with 5 percent of drivers seen talking on handheld phones."

According to the National Phone Survey on Distracted Driving Attitudes and Behaviors, released by NHTSA this month:

"most drivers will answer a call while driving and most will continue to drive after answering. About 2 out of 10 drivers (18%) report that they have sent text messages or e-mails while driving; about half (49%) of those 21 to 24 years old report doing so. More than half believe that using a cell phone and or sending a text message/e-mail makes no difference on their driving performance, yet as passengers, 90% said they would feel very unsafe if their driver was talking on a handheld cell phone or texting/e-mailing while traveling with them. Where gender, age, and income differences exist, males and younger respondents tend to underestimate the negative effects that cell phone use has on driving. Those in the upper income tier ($100,000/year or more) tend to report higher incidences of cell phone use while driving and perceive such behavior as safer than do those in the lower income tiers. Overall, most drivers report that driving becomes more dangerous when they take their eyes off the road for more than 2 seconds, and this is related to age. About one-third of drivers 18 to 24 years old said they can take their eyes off the road for 3 to 10 seconds or more before driving becomes significantly more dangerous."

DOT Secretary Ray LaHood has been an outspoken advocate against distracted driving and drunk driving and for improved vehicle safety. The car accident and injury attorneys at the Law Offices of Jeffrey J. Kroll appreciate his efforts to keep our roads safe. As wintery conditions prevail upon the Chicagoland area, we hope that all motorists make a conscious effort to practice safe driving techniques.