Autonomous Vehicles to Curb Accident Trend

The National Safety Council has found that there were at least 40,000 roadway fatalities as a result of car accidents in 2018. This number has remained stagnant for three straight years for the first time since the Great Recession of 2008. Also, in 2018, about 4.5 million people were seriously injured in car accidents; a one percent reduction from the year before.

States such as Hawaii, Minnesota, New Hampshire, Nevada, Oregon, Washington D.C, Florida, and Pennsylvania had a 5.8 percent increase in fatalities from previous years, the National Safety Council estimates. New Jersey and four other states had a decrease of more than 9.4 percent in traffic fatalities in 2018. While this is good news for our region, the overall number of fatalities as a result of auto accidents in the United States is staggering.

Breaking Down the Numbers

Overall fatalities in the country is an increase of about 14 percent from four years ago. Although the data is not separated out to show the cause of the accidents, the data does reveal that there was an increase in pedestrian deaths across the board. It is estimated that driver distraction played into about eight percent of crashes and driving while drowsy contributed to about two percent of fatal accidents.

Autonomous Vehicles

Securing America’s Future Energy (SAFE) found that the high statistics regarding car accident fatalities were largely due to human error while driving and that more autonomous vehicles would be the answer to this problem. SAFE relied upon the Boston Consulting Group’s research that showed that about 28 percent of all crashes could be prevented with driver-assisted technologies that are already available today. These technologies include automatic braking, cruise control, and automatic parking technologies. The Boston Consulting Group estimated that almost 10,000 fatalities could be stopped next year if more of these technologies were on the road.

Other people may argue that autonomous vehicles contribute to accidents and have glitches in performing correctly when it comes to accidents. Although electric vehicles have tried to reduce emissions and accidents for those engaged in the autonomous features, many of these theories have yet to be proven.

Camden Car Accident Lawyers at DiTomaso Law Help Injured Victims of Car Accidents

If you or a loved one was involved in a car accident, the Camden car accident lawyers at DiTomaso Law can help. We will evaluate your case and obtain the financial compensation you deserve. Our offices are in Philadelphia and Cherry Hill, New Jersey, where we serve clients throughout South Jersey, including Cherry Hill, Mt. Holly, and Camden County. Call us today at 856-414-0010 or contact us online for a free consultation.