According to Online Lawyer Source, vehicular accidents pose a serious threat to the public and auto accident statistics are the leading cause of death for people under the age of 34. Leading cause? This is something serious to consider. For all the moms out there, you need to pay attention for a few minutes while we review these stats. And heck, grab your kids and sit down and read this together. Judging from the available auto accident statistics, all Americans will be involved in at least one car accident in their lifetimes. That’s scary.

How many car accidents have you been in? I have been in two in my lifetime. One of them left my mother with a disability and  we walked away from the other without harm, even though it was a gnarly accident.

Nearly 43,000 people died in car accidents in 2002, according to auto accident statistics available through the U.S. Department of Transportation’s National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. This figure has increased by 1.5% from the previous year. Although the number of traffic-related injures has declined from 3.03 million to 2.92 million, auto accident statistics show that the number of fatalities due to drunk driving has steadily increased. More than one-quarter of Americans have been involved in a car accident in the last five years.

Additional auto accident statistics:
•About 26% of drivers have been involved in a car crash in the last five years.
•There were 17,419 alcohol-related fatalities in 2002.
•More than half the fatalities reported --59%--were not wearing seatbelts.
•Deaths from rollover crashes totaled 82%.
•For the past five years, motorcycle fatalities have been steadily increasing.
•Deaths of motorcyclists aged 50 and over have climbed by 26%.

Every 13 minutes, there is a death caused by a motor vehicle accident. Auto accident statistics show that Americans from the ages of 1-33 are more likely to die from a car accident than from anything else. On the other side of the spectrum, elderly adults aged 75 and up are most affected by motor vehicle crashes. The good news is fatalities of children seven and under have dropped, most likely due to safety seats. Also, pedestrian deaths have declined by 1.9 percent.

Most car accidents are entirely preventable. Recent auto accident statistics reveal that the drivers involved in accidents are most likely distracted, tired or possibly drunk. The National Highway Safety Traffic Administration reports that most drivers engage in activities that take their attention away from the road.

 These activities include:
•Talking with other passengers: 81%
•Playing with the radio or CD: 66%
•Eating or drinking: 49%
•Using a cell phone: 25%

So please, play it safe. Wear a hands-free or Bluetooth when using your cell phone, or don't use it at all. Keep the radio dialing to a minimum and try to eat that bean and cheese burrito BEFORE you start driving. This way, we'll all stay safer on the road.

Drive safe out there!

by Breanne Boyle
Contributing Editor
Roaring Corgi