While some are calling for less government, a recent report found many citizens are in support of additional laws to improve highway safety, according to the AAA Foundation for Traffic Safety. A recently released survey, put out just as the United Nations kicks off its ‘Decade of Action on Road Safety’ campaign, illustrates Americans’ desire for more enforcement to help decrease the risks of car accidents in Chicago and elsewhere across the United States.Our Chicago car accident lawyers support the global campaign to help reduce the number of highway injuries and deaths.
“Despite shrinking federal and state transportation budgets and a public debate over the most appropriate role of government, it’s clear that a majority of Americans want government officials to do more – not less – about highway safety,” said AAA President and CEO Bob Darbelnet. “From passing and enforcing laws about teen drivers and distracted driving to programs that improve the safety of our roadways and add safety equipment to vehicles, there are many steps government can take reduce crashes, injuries, and deaths in the U.S.”
Car accidents continue to rank as one of the leading causes of death in the United States.
Numerous countries and public institutions have all jumped on board with the campaign and are actively endorsing the Decade of Action.
“At a time when more and more U.S. highway safety agencies are adopting “Toward Zero Death” goals, it is very heartening to see motorist support for more, not less action by government to make our roads safer,” added J. Peter Kissinger, President of the AAA Foundation for Traffic Safety, that commissioned this survey.
There were more than 10,111,000 vehicles that were involved in police-reported accidents in the United States in 2008, according to the National Highway Traffic Safety Association. More than 90 percent of these reported accidents involved passenger vehicles. Nearly 50,500 of the crashes resulted in fatalities, and nearly 80 percent of the fatalities occurred to the occupants of passenger vehicles. In total, more than 25,000 of those involved in passenger vehicle accidents lost their lives in that year. Additionally, another 2.35 million occupants suffered injuries.
The Global Action Plan for the Decade of Action for Road Safety can be found on the United Nations Road Safety Collaboration website.
-62 percent of Americans say the U.S. needs more laws to prevent dangerous behavior on the road — only 17 percent disagree.
-57 percent of Americans say their state needs to do more to make the roads safer — only 11 percent disagree.
-86 percent believe all new drivers should be required to complete a driver’s education course.
-A majority of Americans believe the responsibility for making cars safer rests with both manufacturers and the government.
Worldwide car accident statistics:
-1.3 million motorists die on the world’s roads each year.
-3.5 million are injured.
-Road deaths are projected to rise to 1.9 million by 2020.
-By 2015 road deaths will be the leading health burden for children.
Contact the Chicago injury attorneys at Abels & Annes if you’ve been injured in a car accident in the Chicago area. Call us at 312-924-7575 for a free and confidential consultation to discuss your rights.