Risk of Death from a Car Accident Depends on Where You Live

The chances of being killed in a car accident depend on where you live, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).

Researchers from the CDC were looking to evaluate the effectiveness of the federal government’s Healthy People 2010, which calls for the reduction of deaths caused by motor vehicle accidents from 15.6 per 100,000 in 1998 to 9.2. They analyzed information from the National Statistics System from 1999 to 2005 regarding car crash deaths. Based on their evaluation, they found that there were significant differences in the car accident death rate among states, U.S. Census regions, gender, race and age.

According to the data, the New York car accident rate during that time period was 8.4 per 100,000, which is below the average death rate target set at 9.2 by the Healthy People initiative. The highest car crash death rate occurred in the South, which had a rate of 19.5. CDC researchers did not look into possible reasons as to why more deaths occur in car accidents in certain geographic locations. The CDC has stated that additional research needs to be done that could result in more effective programs for states with a higher death rate.

The number of deaths caused by car accidents also varied depending on gender. Men were more likely to die in a car crash than women, as they had a death rate of 21.7 per 100,000, compared to the women’s rate of 9.4. Researchers also found that people ages 15 to 24 had a 74 percent higher death rate than the average yearly rate of 15.4 per 100,000 people.

Researchers do believe that certain efforts can be made to prevent car accidents that result in life-threatening injuries. For example, lower blood alcohol laws, safety improvements to vehicles, better roads, better emergency response, more seat belt laws and an increase in alcohol checkpoints have been recommended as ways to lower the risk of death from an auto accident.

If you or a family member has been injured in a car accident in New York, you need to contact an accident lawyer who can explain your legal rights. Call Rappaport, Glass, Greene & Levine at (800) 734-9445 for a free legal consultation. We can help you receive compensation for your car accident injuries. Our New York accident lawyers have been helping victims of car accidents for over four decades.