Even as federal transportation authorities grapple with a spike in deaths in all types of car accidents, a new study finds that high visibility traffic enforcement campaigns may possibly hold the key to reducing those numbers and keeping motorists safe.
The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration recently revealed that auto accident death numbers are on the rise. Those numbers were extremely high in 2020, a year in which American motorists drove fewer vehicle miles than in previous years. In 2021, according to projected estimates, those numbers were at their highest in more than a decade. This increase has been high enough to spur federal transportation authorities into action. The new National Highway Traffic Safety Administration chief has announced his Roadway Safety Strategy, a plan that aims to combine efforts towards safer roads, vehicles and motorists to reduce car accident death numbers.
A new analysis by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration finds that high visibility traffic law enforcement campaigns like those that are frequently conducted to encourage motorists to buckle up or drive safely or at posted speeds may be effective in helping reduce car accident fatality numbers
Thousands of auto accident deaths every year can be traced to people driving under the influence of alcohol, driving while drowsy, driving aggressively or simply failing to wear seat belts while driving. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration analyzed the findings of several previous studies and published these findings in a report titled Synthesis of Studies that Relate Amount of Enforcement to Magnitude of Safety Outcomes. The study finds that traffic enforcement campaigns that focus on cracking down on motorists for not wearing seat belts, for driving under the influence of alcohol or speeding can significantly help reduce the risk of such risky driving behaviors, thereby helping prevent accident deaths.
Every year in Georgia, law enforcement officers conduct enforcement campaigns targeted at failure to wear seat belts, and the study finds that such campaigns actually help increase seatbelt usage. Usage rates went up by more than 3 percentage points in the weeks after the campaign. Wearing a seatbelt could be the single most important factor in preventing death or serious injury in an accident. Similarly, the researchers found that speed enforcement campaigns resulted in a dropping of speed of roughly 4 mph in work zones and 1 mph in non- work-zones.
When it comes to reducing traffic accident deaths, it appears that going back to basics like cracking down on unsafe behaviors like drunk driving, failing to wear seatbelts while driving or speeding could go a long way in helping reduce crash deaths.
The Atlanta car crash attorneys at Katz Personal Injury Lawyers are dedicated to the representation of persons injured in car accidents in the metro Atlanta region and across Georgia. If you or a loved one have suffered injuries in a car accident, talk to a lawyer at our firm and determine if you have legal options to a claim for damages. You may be eligible for compensation that includes medical expenses, lost income and other types of damages. Talk to an attorney at our firm and discuss your case.