Georgia Injury Law Blog
Minority groups, including blacks and Hispanic Americans, seem to have been disproportionately affected by the increase in fatal car accidents recorded across the country during the pandemic.
According to new studies, black and Hispanic Americans as well as people with lower educational attainment were the most likely to suffer an impact from the increase in auto accidents between 2020 and 2022. This period of time recorded a significant increase in car accidents with new research from the AAA Foundation for Traffic Safety stating that as many as 114,000 people were killed in auto accidents between May 2020 and December 2022. This was a staggering 17% jump in the fatality numbers from before the pandemic.
Teens between the ages of 16 and 19 took the top spot in auto accident wrongful deaths. Overall, young persons between the ages of 20 and 24 also recorded very high increases in car accident numbers during this time. Male drivers were also much more likely to suffer fatal personal injuries in auto accidents between 2020 and 2022, exceeding estimates by as much as 14%.
The researchers found that black Americans accounted for 34% of the auto accident fatalities during this time, relative to the numbers that might have been expected in the absence of a pandemic. This is even as black Americans account for just 12% of the total American population. Similarly, Hispanics accounted for a quarter of all car accident wrongful deaths during the study period, while accounting for just 19% of the American population.
According to the researchers, the results of the study underscore the existing disparities in traffic safety initiatives in socially and economically disadvantaged areas or areas with high levels of minority populations. Factors like poor infrastructure that are likely to be seen in disadvantaged neighborhoods significantly increase car accident wrongful death risks for people in these areas. These neighborhoods are also less likely to be serviced by robust mass transportation options, leaving driving the only option for transport for people in these neighborhoods, driving their car accident risks further upward.
The study also found that risky behaviors like speeding and driving under the influence of alcohol accounted for a significant number of auto accident wrongful deaths during this period of time. They recommend an approach that includes better and safer travel options for people in all neighborhoods, as well as a more holistic approach to traffic safety that also focuses on other factors that place minorities at a higher risk of being killed in auto accidents.
The Atlanta car accident lawyers at Katz Personal Injury Lawyers are dedicated to the representation of persons who have suffered injuries in au accidents in the metro Atlanta region and across the state of Georgia. If you or a loved one have suffered injuries in a car accident, talk to an attorney at our firm and discuss your legal options for a claim for damages including medical costs, lost income and other forms of damages. Talk to a car accident lawyer at our firm and discuss your case. Initial consultations are free.