A recent government report concluded that, overall, the number of traffic fatalities on the country’s roads declined between 2018 and 2019.
The report concluded that in 2019, 36,096 people died in motor vehicle accidents, a decrease in 2% from 2018. The decline continued a broader trend.
Since the late 1970s, in which fatalities hovered around 50,000 a year, deaths on the road have dropped fairly consistency each year. The only exception was that the trend reversed between 2014 and 2016, so the low-water mark for traffic deaths was in the early 2010s.
While this decline could be for a number of reasons, the share of traffic deaths due to drunk driving have decreased dramatically between the 1970s and the present day.
In the 70s, alcohol or drugs were involved in well over half of all fatal accidents, while the sharer is closer to 30% in the present day.
Pedestrians continue to fare poorly on the roads
Running contrary to overall trend, the number of pedestrians who died on the roads increased by 10%, from 2,858 in 2018 to 3,142 in 2019.
Distracted driving may be playing an ongoing role in the number of pedestrian fatalities. However, some believe that it could just be that more people are choosing to travel by foot, especially in urban areas where mass transit is available.
Some believed that improved technology in new vehicles will help prevent motorists from hitting pedestrians. However, there is still no substitute for careful driving.
When in an area where pedestrians frequent, drivers in the Fort Lauderdale area need to slow down and pay careful attention both to the road and to what is going around their vehicle.
If they do not, they may have to compensation a pedestrian or the pedestrian’s family for any injuries they cause.