As new car technology evolves and laws crack down on drivers who are drunk, distracted or otherwise negligent, Colorado residents should be able to feel safer when they take to the road whether as drivers, motorcyclists, pedestrians or bicyclists. Sadly, statistics indicate that this may not necessarily be the case.
Data from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration shows that the number of people dying in automobile accidents in Colorado has increased every year starting in 2012 through 2015. In 2011, there were 447 total vehicular fatalities statewide. In the subsequent years, that rose to 474 in 2012, 482 in 2013, 488 in 2014 and then 546 in 2015. The number of motorcyclists and bicyclists who were killed increased in 2015 over 2014. So too did the number of people killed in accidents in which speeding was a contributing factor.
The increase in automotive deaths is also seen across the nation. From 2014 to 2015, the number of nationwide traffic deaths rose by slightly more than seven percent. While numbers for the entire calendar year of 2016 are not yet available, when comparing the first three quarters of 2015 and 2016, a jump in fatalities by eight percent from 2015 to 2016 is seen. That follows an increase of more than eight percent for the same nine months between 2014 and 2015. Sadly, these increases come on the heels of two years of back-to-back decreases in the national vehicular fatality counts.
If you would like to learn more about motor vehicle accident trends, injuries and fatalities, please feel free to visit the crash compensation page of our Colorado accident and personal injury website.
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