Recent Statistics on Motor Vehicle Accidents Involving the Elderly

The elderly age group, particularly people ages 70 and older, is highly at risk of getting injured or killed in motor vehicle accidents. While they are less likely to be licensed to drive as opposed to younger people, as well as less likely to drive more miles than they did during early adult years, it was found that the fatal crash rates of the elderly per mile traveled increases starting at age 70 to 74. Such rates are at its highest among drivers 85 and older.

As it is, majority of elderly drivers have an increased likelihood of getting fatally injured in a motor vehicle crash because they are more susceptible to bodily harm, especially injuries to the chest. Aside from that, medical complications due to sustained injuries among the elderly may also happen.

To provide a clear perspective as to the vulnerability of elderly drivers to motor vehicle crashes, the following are some of the statistical information taken from the latest National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) data:

·         The total number of people ages 70 or older who died in motor vehicle crashes in 2011 was 4,052. Said figure was a 3-percent decrease from the previous year (4,171, 2010).

·         Of the number of elderly people who died in vehicle crashes in 2011, around 76 percent of them (3,097) were passenger vehicle occupants, while 16 percent of them (631) were pedestrians.

·         Of the 3,097 older passenger vehicle occupants who died in 2011, around 62 percent of them (2,292) were older drivers, while 15 percent of them (551) were passengers. In comparison, there were only 42 percent of drivers who died in motor vehicle crashes that year who are younger than 30.

·         Older males have higher death rates in crashes than older females, and this is true across other age groups.

·         In 2011, drivers 80 years or older accounted for 39 percent of multiple-vehicle crashes at intersections in the country, while drivers 20-49 accounted for only 18 percent.

Enjoying Your Favorite Sporting Event Minus the Hassles

Almost every individual has a sport that they follow and play. Other than very popular ones like basketball, tennis, soccer, and football, softball is also one of those that Americans love. It is one of the leading sporting events that are being followed. This is also one of the more popular events played in schools.

Athletes playing softball use safety gears to help prevent injuries while playing the sport. First, a player should wear a helmet. These helmets have ear flaps on each side. Batters and runners are usually the ones that wear these. This will prevent the ball from hitting your face or head. There are also optional throat protectors, shin guards, and body protectors that help keep players from getting hurt while playing the sport.

Avoiding the Truck’s Blind Spots While Driving

Truck accidents in the United States are nothing uncommon. In fact, in 2011, there were some 635 fatalities recorded in which large trucks were involved. Said figure was a 20-percent increase from the previous year. Incidentally, a large drop in large truck accident deaths happened from 2008 to 2009. Nearly 23,000 more were injured, which was a 15-percent increase from the previous year.

Such road occurrences happen mostly because of fatigue, especially on the part of truck drivers. With truck drivers feeling lethargic behind the wheel, it increases the risk of other motorists of getting entangled with those large vehicles, therefore resulting in serious injuries and untimely death.

However, there are other reasons why truck accidents happen, and one of them is the occurrence of so-called “blind spots.” Basically, every vehicle has its own blind spots. But where are they located? Imagine you are seated on the driver’s side of a sedan and your friend is standing behind it. You can see him on the rear-view mirror, but you will not see him anymore as he moves towards the side-view mirror. The vehicle’s blind spot is where you cannot see a moving object with your peripheral vision glued straight ahead on the road.

Large trucks have the same blind spot as the one example above, only it is much larger. Not only does it apply on the left side of the truck, but also on the right side. Since trucks are huge, drivers are unable to see if there are smaller vehicles passing through that blind spot. When that happens, any maneuver going to the left or to the right may catch the smaller vehicle off guard, therefore causing an accident.

Statistics and Injuries due to Distracted Driving

 

Distractions while driving are often fatal. According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) there had been about 5, 474 who got killed in vehicle crashes across the United States due to distracted driving in the year 2009. This does not include the 448,000 other individuals who got injured in such accidents. This meant that distracted driving brought around 16 percent of the fatal traffic crashes in that same year.

These staggering numbers include little children, the elderly and young adults. Los Angeles, not surprisingly, is one of the cities with the leading number of fatalities. According to the NHTSA records, in 2009 this highly urbanized location recorded the most number of accidents. 

Distraction while driving occurs when the driver of the motor vehicle attempts to do two things at the same time. Some of the samples of this nasty driving habit include using the cell phone (texting or calling), grooming, reading, or even thinking about other things aside from driving itself. Most of the time, such acts lead to collisions which should have been prevented.

During crashes, those inside the vehicle are susceptible to traumatic injuries. Two of the most common forms of this include the following: