The Advocates for Highway and Auto Safety have released the 2018 Annual Roadmap of State Highway Safety Laws. The report assessed the highway laws in each state to reveal which states could be taking further precautions to make their roads safer. The report also revealed that there was a very sharp increase in the number of fatalities between 2015 and 2016. The breakdown of fatality percentage increases throughout the country are as follows:
- pedestrian fatalities rose by 9%
- fatalities that involved drivers ages 65 and up increased by 8.8%
- fatalities that involved drivers between the ages of 15 and 20 increased by 3.2%
- fatalities that involved occupants under the age of 16 rose by 6.3%
- fatalities that involved a large truck increased by 5.4%
- fatalities that involved motorcyclists rose by 5.1%
- fatalities of car occupants that weren’t wearing a seatbelt rose by 4.6%
- speed-related fatalities rose by 4%
- alcohol-related fatalities rose by 1.7%
The report also detailed specific information regarding the District of Columbia in comparison with the rest of the country. For example, while the District of Columbia was one of only 6 states that ranked in the safest category for motorcycle helmet laws, 13 other states only had one of the three recommended laws. The District of Columbia was also found not to have safe enough laws regarding child passenger safety because it did not have requirements for booster seats or a rear-facing car seat for children under 3 years old.
If you have been injured in a motor vehicle accident in Washington D.C., contact our firm today.
The experienced personal injury attorneys at Trombly & Singer, PLLC are prepared to represent clients facing legal matters after being injured due to another person’s negligence. If you require strong legal representation in Washington D.C. or Maryland, contact our firm today to schedule a consultation.
