Traffic Fatalities In America Fall in 2010

The number of traffic fatalities in 2010 fell to the lowest levels since 1949.

As reported by The Department of Transportation this drop comes despite a sharp increase in the number of miles Americans drove last year – 21 billion additional miles. In addition, the rate of road fatalities in the U.S. has also dropped to its lowest level since 1949. Over the last five years, traffic deaths have declined by 25 percent.

This is thanks to the combined efforts of DOT, states, law enforcement, safety organizations, and America’s drivers who are taking personal responsibility for their driving habits. Overall, in 2010, the number of deaths fell three percent to 32,788. And the rate of fatalities per million miles traveled fell to 1.09 from 1.13 in 2009.

Our National Highway Traffic Safety Administration has worked tirelessly to improve vehicle safety on several fronts:
Urging automakers to swiftly and voluntarily report safety defects.
Encouraging crash-prevention technologies like electronic stability control, forward collision warning, and lane departure warning systems.
Unveiling an updated 5-star rating system with more rigorous crash-test standards and improved consumer information about which cars perform best in collisions.

The NHTSA will continue successful enforcement efforts like Click It Or Ticket, Over The Limit Under Arrest, and our distracted driving initiative, Phone in One Hand Ticket In The Other.

Public education efforts like the distracted driving website, and the heartbreaking stories in “Faces of Distracted Driving” video series have also helped.

Florida experienced 2,430 traffic crash fatalities in 2010. By comparison, 2,563 people died in traffic crashes in 2009. The number of crash fatalities in 2010 is the lowest the state has seen since 1978 even though the State’s population has doubled since that time.

Florida Personal Injury Law allows families of those killed in car accidents to bring claims for Wrongful Death.

The Florida Wrongful Death Statute permits the following:

Each survivor may recover the value of lost support and services from the date of the decedent’s injury to her or his death, with interest, and future loss of support and services from the date of death and reduced to present value.

The surviving spouse may also recover for loss of the decedent’s companionship and protection and for mental pain and suffering from the date of injury.

Minor children of the decedent, and all children of the decedent if there is no surviving spouse, may also recover for lost parental companionship, instruction, and guidance and for mental pain and suffering from the date of injury.

Each parent of a deceased minor child may also recover for mental pain and suffering from the date of injury. Each parent of an adult child may also recover for mental pain and suffering if there are no other survivors.

Medical or funeral expenses due to the decedent’s injury or death may be recovered by a survivor who has paid them.