Georgia Injury Law Blog
With hopes for a complete elimination of traffic accident wrongful deaths over the next decade fading swiftly away, the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety is calling for the adoption of a more practical and achievable short term strategy towards the attainment of the goal. Given the number of wrongful deaths which occur in car accidents, any reduction will be welcomed.
“Vision Zero” is a policy that originated first in Sweden where it was adopted by that country’s parliament with the goal of eliminating all auto accident wrongful deaths and bringing the total number of people being killed in car accidents down to zero over the next decade. That idea caught on quickly around the world as many governments announced their own plans for reducing car accident wrongful death numbers in their countries. The US too was quick to adopt the idea. The US Department of Transportation laid out the policy in detail in its National Roadways Safety Strategy in 2022. That policy outlined the framework of a plan to help eliminate the number of car accident wrongful deaths on our roads through a number of strategies, including better roads, safer vehicles and better drivers.
However, progress towards achieving zero fatalities has been very slow or minimal at best. In fact, the goal seems to be getting further and further out of reach. In 2022, for instance, the year in which the administration announced the National Roadways Safety Strategy, more than 42,500 people died in auto accidents across the country. That was an increase of nearly 30% from 2014, a mere 8 years earlier.
The Insurance Institute for Highway Safety is now proposing a much more practical and attainable goal – a 30% reduction in the number of auto accident wrongful deaths by the year 2030. The Insurance Institute for Highway Safety believes that up until 2014, the federal government had made significant progress in reducing car accident wrongful deaths, cutting down the number of people being killed in auto accidents by as much as 50% since 1975 which was the year recordkeeping began. Since 2014, however, progress in further reducing the number of people being killed in car accidents has stalled. In fact, the number of people dying in certain types of accidents like pedestrian accidents and bicycle accidents has actually increased. The Insurance Institute for Highway Safety says that a short-term goal of reducing car accident deaths by 30% by the year 2030 – which is just 5 years away – is a more attainable goal, and could still save thousands of lives in auto accidents each year. To achieve this goal, the group is calling for a nationwide speed limit of 65 miles per hour, reducing the blood alcohol concentration limit to .05% from .08% and expanding seat belt usage to 100%.
The Atlanta car accident lawyers at Katz Personal Injury Lawyers are dedicated to the representation of persons who have suffered injuries in car 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. You may qualify for compensation that includes medical costs, lost income and other forms of damages. Talk to a lawyer at our firm and discuss your case. Initial consultations are free.