Study: unsafe behaviors cause over 30,000 car accident fatalities

Car accidents in Pittsburgh are on the news constantly. The countless lives lost are enough of a reason to look deeper into why these accidents happen. According to a study by the AAA Foundation for Traffic Safety, many of these car accidents are the fault of the driver. The study shows that close to 87 percent of drivers engage in at least one unsafe behavior while driving.

These unsafe behaviors include speeding, distracted driving, driving under the influence, driving while drowsy, not wearing a seatbelt and running red lights. These behaviors killed over 30,000 people in car crashes in 2014. This number increased 9 percent in 2015.

The study used survey data from over 2,000 drivers nationwide, 16-years-old and older. A vast majority of the accidents, 94 percent, were caused by human error. About 20 percent of the drivers were involved in an accident that required hospital treatment.

Speeding appears to be one of the more common errors, with close to 50 percent admitting that they have driven up to 15 miles over the speed limit on the freeway in the past month. About 45 percent of drivers have gone 10 miles per hour over the speed limit on a residential street in the past month. Distracted driving is also on the rise, with 70 percent of people admitting to talking on the phone behind the wheel. Over 40 percent of people admitted to checking their email.

With so many lives at risks, it is important for people to be aware of the dangers of driving and take as many precautions as possible to avoid accidents. Nonetheless, no matter how safe people are, there will still be negligent drivers on the road putting others at risk for serious injury or even death.

Source: Tech Times, “Alarming AAA Statistics Explain Why So Many Americans Are Involved In Car Crashes,” Menchie Mendoza, Feb. 27, 2016