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Report: Dangerous Highways are Factor in More than 50 Percent of Accident Fatalities

We tend to see more focus placed on drunk drivers and speeders when it comes to accident-prevention efforts. However, a new study shows that more people die every year in automobile accidents caused by dangerous highways, than from alcohol use, speeding or failure to wear seatbelts.

Across the country, automobile accidents claim approximately 42,000 lives each year. According to the Washington Post, road conditions are a factor in approximately 22,000 accident-related fatalities annually. Dangerous roads also cost the economy $217.5 billion annually. Those numbers are much higher than the numbers of deaths related to alcohol, speeding and deaths from failure to wear seatbelts. According to the report, failure to wear seatbelts cost the American economy $59.6 billion in 2006. Speeding related accidents cost $97.1 billion and drunk driving accidents cost $129.7 billion. The report compiled information from medical bills, insurance payouts and other data to arrive at those numbers.

The report, which was commissioned by the Transportation Construction Coalition, has several recommendations that would make our roads safer for Americans, and prevent the large number of accidents that take place every year because of highway design defects. The report recommends widening and adding shoulders, fixing crooked roads, widening or replacing bridges, using bright colored pavement markers, installing clearly visibly signs and rumble strips. These measures, according to the report, will make our highways more compliant with current standards.

The report also has much to say about the sorry state of affairs in our rural and back road system. While plenty of thought and innovative design techniques have gone into the construction of the super highways in our cites, the back roads and rural roads, which comprise a large section of our roadway system, continue to suffer from lack of good design and maintenance. The interstate highways account for around 45,000 miles of the country’s 3.9 million mile long roadway system. The rest is made up of a network of smaller roads, including back roads and rural roads, several of which were constructed many years ago. These roads are poorly designed, and incorporate too many obstructions for a motorist to handle. Besides, these roads see fewer repairs and maintenance projects.

The report comes just as states around the country have begun to use their portion of federal stimulus funds in infrastructure development projects. The Obama administration’s $787 billion federal stimulus package is pumping billions of dollars into highway construction repair projects around the country. Bridges will be built, roads will be repaired, and utility poles will be repositioned so they are not a risk to motorists, bicyclists, and motorcyclists.

Besides California accident lawyers can also look forward to the passing of a $500 billion transportation bill which will invest heavily in highway improvements. The bill has currently been set aside while the administration deals with other issues, but there is strong and bipartisan support in the House for the bill which means that there is a strong likelihood it will be passed.

The Reeves Law Group is a law firm with offices throughout California dedicated exclusively to the representation of personal injury victims, including victims of dangerous roads. Please visit our website at trlglaw.com. If you desire a free consultation on a personal injury matter, please call us at (800) 644-8000 or email us.

The Reeves Law Group is not acting as legal counsel for any party in the matters discussed in this posting.

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