Top 7 Causes of Car Crashes

Speeding:

• From 2006-2015 there were 108,554 car crashes reported due to speeding
• Of the nearly 10,000 speed related deaths in 2015, 48% happened on roads with speed limits in excess of 55mph

Drunk Driving:

• Everyday 28 people die due to drunk driving related crashes in the United States
• This is equivalent to 1 death every 53 minutes
• Over the past decade drunk driving has resulted in nearly 113,000 deaths

Distracted Driving:

• Eating
• Talking to passengers
• Adjusting radio/climate controls
• From 2010-2014 distracted drivers were responsible for nearly 16% of all car crashes

Cell Phones:

• In 2014 there were 69,000 crashes reported that were attributed to drivers using their cell phones. That an increase of almost 38% since 2010

Weather:

• From 2005-2014 there were 1258,978 weather related car crashes
• During that time period 445,303 people were injured, and 5,897 people passed away

Red Light Running:

• On average 705 people die every year from running red lights
• Drivers most frequently run red lights in the afternoon
• Friday had the highest number of violations

Driver Fatigued:

• From 2005-2009, drowsy driving accounted for 1.4% of all car crashes
• On average 83,000 crashes every year can be attributed to drowsy driving

Statistics were compiled by the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety, National Highway Safety Traffic Administration, and the US Department of Transportation.

Rich Heinrich

Master Instructor, Emeritus