Facts:

Over two-thirds of all fatal boating accident victims drowned, and of those, ninety (90) percent were not wearing a life jacket.

Only ten percent of deaths occurred on boats where the operator had received boating safety instruction.

Seven out of every ten boaters who drowned were using boats less than 21 feet in length.

Careless/reckless operation, operator inattention, no proper lookout, operator inexperience and passenger/skier behavior rank as the top five primary contributing factors in accidents.

Alcohol use is the leading contributing factor in fatal boating accidents; it was listed as the leading factor in 17% of the deaths.

Eleven children under age thirteen lost their lives while boating in 2008. 63% of the children who died in 2008 died from drowning.

The most common types of vessels involved in reported accidents were open motorboats (43%), personal watercraft (23%), and cabin motorboats (15%).

The 12,692,892 boats registered by the states in 2008 represent a 1.4% decrease from last year when 12,875,568 boats were registered.

The relationship between age and driving behavior has interested highway safety researchers and administrators for many years. It is generally acknowledged that the greatest risk of traffic crashes is among teenage drivers. Traffic crashes are the leading cause of death for teenagers across the United States. For both men and women, drivers aged 16 to 19 years of age have the highest average annual crash and traffic violation rates of any other age group.

Teenage Driver Crash Risk Factors 
The traffic accident rates for 16- to 19-year old drivers are higher than those for any other age group. What causes teenage drivers to be such risky drivers? The following is a list of their primary risk factors.

Poor hazard detection
The ability to detect hazards in the driving environment depends upon perceptual and information-gathering skills and involves properly identifying stimuli as potential threats. It takes time for young novice drivers to acquire this ability.

Low risk perception
Risk perception involves subjectively assessing the degree of threat posed by a hazard and one’s ability to deal with the threat. Young novice drivers tend to underestimate the crash risk in hazardous situations and overestimate their ability to avoid the threats they identify.

Risk Taking
Teenagers tend to take more risks while driving partly due to their overconfidence in their driving abilities. Young novice drivers are more likely to engage in risky behaviors like speeding, tailgating, running red lights, violating traffic signs and signals, making illegal turns, passing dangerously, and failure to yield to pedestrians.

Not wearing seat belts
Teenagers tend to wear safety belts less often than older drivers. Why?

Lack of skill
Novice teenage drivers have not yet completely mastered basic vehicle handling skills and safe-driving knowledge they need to drive safely.

Alcohol and drugs
Driving under the influence of alcohol and/or drugs is a common cause of serious crashes, especially fatal ones, involving teenage drivers. Teenagers who drink and drive are at much greater risk of serious crashes than are older drivers with equal concentrations of alcohol in their blood.

Carrying passengers
For teenagers, the risk of being in a crash increases when they transport passengers-the fatality risk of drivers aged 16-17 years is 3.6 times higher when they are driving with passengers than when they are driving alone, and the relative risk of a fatal crash increases as the number of passengers increases. Passengers who are age peers may distract the teen drivers and encourage them to take more risks, especially for young males riding with young male drivers.

Night driving
The per mile crash rate for teenaged drivers is 3 times higher after 9:00 pm during the day. This is because the task of driving at night is more difficult; they have less experience driving at night than during the day; they are more sleep deprived, and/or because teenage recreational driving, which often involves alcohol, is more likely to occur at night.

U.S. Statistics
Motor vehicle crashes are the leading cause of death for 15-20 year olds (NHTSA, 2001).
- In 2001, 3608 drivers 15-20 years of age were killed and 337,000 were injured in motor vehicle accidents (NHTSA, 2001).
Drivers between the ages of 16 and 19 have the highest crash rate relative to all other age groups. The risk of crash involvement per mile driven for 16 to 19 year olds is 4 times that of older drivers. (IIHS, 2002)
- In 2000, 63% of 13-19 year old passenger deaths occurred when other teenagers were driving (Williams, 2001).
In 2001, 54 percent of teen motor vehicle deaths occurred on Friday, Saturday, and Sunday (IIHS, 2002).
- In 2001, 43 percent of teen motor vehicle deaths occurred between the hours of 9:00 p.m. and 6:00 a.m. (IIHS, 2002).
Among 16-17 year old drivers, about 40% of their fatal crashes take place between the hours of 9:00 p.m. and 6:00 a.m. (Williams and Preusser, 1997).

Holiday accidents are preventable. During the holidays, there are more crashes than any other time, partly because some equate celebrating with alcohol. Sure, there’s eggnog at holiday parties, maybe there’s a little rum in that drink, and your friend only had one. That’s not much alcohol, right? Wrong. There’s still enough in that one drink to impair your friend’s driving.

Holiday Drinking and Driving Statistics from Canada

According to statistics provided by the Ontario Provincial Police, impaired driving is the leading criminal cause of death in all of Canada. In 2007, during the Reduce Impaired Driving Everywhere (R.I.D.E.) campaign that took place for the five weeks leading up to New Year’s Eve, police stopped 861,587 cars and trucks.
- 342 people were charged under the Criminal Code with crimes relating to drinking and driving.
- 869 12-hour driver’s license suspensions were issued.
- 375 drivers lost their driving privileges for 90 days.

More Drinking and Driving Statistics

According to the National Center for Statistics and Analysis, 12,998 people lost their lives in car crashes where drinking and driving was a factor.
In the United States, the number of fatalities related to drinking and driving went down in 32 states in 2007.
The number of motorcycle operators who were charged with alcohol-related offenses increased in 25 states, as well as the District of Columbia. Charges were up by 10 percent that year. This was the only category of driver where the numbers were up.

The following statistics were provided by Mothers Against Drunk Driving:
In 2007, 12,998 people died in alcohol-related crashes.
Someone is killed by a drunk driver once every 40 minutes, on average.
Approximately three out of every 10 people will be involved in a car crash where alcohol is a factor at some point during their lives.
More than 1.46 million people were arrested in 2006 for DUI (Driving Under the Influence or Alcohol or Narcotics).
More than 500,000 people were injured in motor vehicle accidents where alcohol was a factor; this works out to one person being hurt about every minute.

The importance of staying safe during the holiday season is obvious when you look at the statistics on holiday accidents. During the holidays in 2002, between Thanksgiving and New Year’s Eve, alcohol related crashes killed 1,561 people. That’s a significant percent of people killed in all crashes. Don’t want your friend to become a statistic? Then be firm and make sure they don’t drive themselves home or wander home alone.

How to claim compensation

Legal Advice Helpline can help you if you decide to claim after an accident on holiday. Our solicitors have a wealth of experience in cases involving accidents occurring on holiday abroad.

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Who is the better driver? Man or Woman?

First of all, let’s take a look at some statistics that I have located on line that will help this investigation.

Men are more than twice as likely to die in a car crash as women, consider the yearly statistics shown below. In fact, studies have shown as many as 73 percent of all people killed in car accidents are male. Since record keeping began: male fatalities significantly outweigh female fatalities. However men and women do not drive the same number of miles under the same conditions- men do about 60-65% more driving than women. Studies show that woman take shorter trips and female drivers have a greater number of minor crashes than do men. However men are still 70% more likely to be in a serious crash.

Insurance company AAMI has found some interesting statistics in a recent telephone survey of more than 2,000 drivers.

- 55 per cent of men – 30 per cent of women – drink drive.

- 47 per cent of men – 38 per cent of women – have rudely gestured at other drivers.

- 84 per cent of men – 77 per cent of women – have crashed their vehicle,

- 51 per cent of men – 40 per cent of women – have been distracted by billboards while driving

- 46 per cent of men – 36 per cent of woman – admitted to verbally abusing another driver.

- 22 per cent of men – 15 per cent of women – admitted to using their mobile phones without hands-free accessories while driving.

So you can see from the survey that things are not looking that great for men, but do all those statistics make women better drivers?

“Our claims data shows that men’s crashes tend to be more serious than women’s, they are more likely to be involved in head-on collisions, roll-overs and loss-of-control crashes, as well as crashes involving pedestrians, cyclists and animals.” AAMI spokesman Geoff Hughes said. Read the rest of this entry »

According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration there are about 43,000 people killed in deadly car accidents each year in the United States. Approximately, 40 percent of the fatal crashes are alcohol-related. In addition to fatal accidents, about 2.9 million people are injured each year.

Fatal Crash Statistics By Year

Total Traffic Crashes In the United States	2005	2004	2003	2002	2001	2000	1999	1998	1997
Fatal Vehicle Crashes	39,189	38,444	38,477	38,491	38,862	37,526	37,140	37,107	37,324
Fatality Totals:
Drivers	27,472	28,871	26,779	26,659	25,869	25,567	25,257	24,743	24,667
Passengers	10,036	10,355	10,458	10,604	10,469	10,695	10,521	10,530	10,944
Other	86	78	104	112	102	86	97	109	114
Sub-total	37,594	37,304	37,341	37,375	36,440	36,348	35,875	35,382	35,725
Non-Motorists Killed
Pedestrians	4,881	4,675	4,774	4,851	4,901	4,763	4,939	5,228	5,321
Bicyclists	784	727	629	665	732	693	754	760	814
Other	184	130	140	114	123	141	149	131	153
Total Killed	43,443	42,836	42,884	43,005	42,196	41,945	41,717	41,501	42,013

Did You Know?

• The nonoccupant fatality rate per 100,000 population has declined by 54.4 percent from 1975 to 2007.
• Large trucks accounted for 8 percent of the vehicles in fatal crashes, but only 3 percent of the vehicles involved in injury crashes and 5 percent of the vehicles involved in property-damage-only crashes. Of the 4,584 large trucks involved in fatal crashes, 74 percent were combination trucks.
• Thirty-two percent of all fatal crashes involved alcohol-impaired driving, where the highest blood alcohol concentration (BAC) among drivers involved in the crash was .08 grams per deciliter (g/dL) or higher. For fatal crashes occurring from midnight to 3 a.m., 65 percent involved alcohol-impaired driving

Crashes statistics:

• More than 6 million police-reported motor vehicle crashes occurred in the United States in 2007. Nearly 30 percent of those crashes (1.71 million) resulted in an injury, and fewer than 1 percent (37,248) resulted in a death.
• Fifty-nine percent of fatal crashes involved only one vehicle, as compared with 33 percent of injury crashes and 31 percent of property-damage-only crashes.
• Half of all fatal crashes in 2007 occurred on roads with posted speed limits of 55 mph or more, as compared with 23 percent of injury and property-damage-only crashes.
• Midnight to 3 a.m. on Saturdays and Sundays proved to be the deadliest 3-hour periods throughout 2007, with 1,251 and 1,383 fatal crashes, respectively.
• Thirty-two percent of all fatal crashes involved alcohol-impaired driving, where the highest blood alcohol concentration (BAC) among drivers involved in the crash was .08 grams per deciliter (g/dL) or higher. For fatal crashes occurring from midnight to 3 a.m., 65 percent involved alcohol-impaired driving.
• More than 6.1 million police-reported motor vehicle crashes occurred in the United States in 2005. Almost one-third of these crashes resulted in an injury, with less than 1 percent of total crashes (39,189) resulting in a death.
• Midnight to 3 a.m. on Saturdays and Sundays proved to be the deadliest 3-hour periods throughout 2005, with 1,320 and 1,275 fatal crashes, respectively.
• Fifty-eight percent of fatal crashes involved only one vehicle, compared to 31 percent of injury crashes and 31 percent of property-damage-only crashes.
• More than half of fatal crashes occurred on roads with posted speed limits of 55 mph or more, while only 23 percent of property-damage-only crashes occurred on these roads.
• Collision with another motor vehicle in transport was the most common first harmful event for fatal, injury, and property-damage-only crashes. Collisions with fixed objects and noncollisions accounted for only 19 percent of all crashes, but they accounted for 44 percent of fatal crashes.

Vehicles statistics:

• The proportion of vehicles that rolled over in fatal crashes (21.5 percent) was nearly 4 times as high as the proportion in injury crashes (5.8 percent) and nearly 17 times as high as the proportion in property-damage-only crashes (1.3 percent).

• Fires occurred in 0.1 percent of the vehicles involved in all traffic crashes in 2007. For fatal crashes, however, fires occurred in 3 percent of the vehicles involved.

• Compared with other vehicle types, utility vehicles experienced the highest rollover rates in fatal crashes (33.7 percent) and in injury crashes (10.2 percent). Large trucks, pickups, and utility vehicles experienced the highest rollover rates in property-damage-only crashes (2.2 percent).

• Large trucks accounted for 8 percent of the vehicles in fatal crashes, but only 3 percent of the vehicles involved in injury crashes and 5 percent of the vehicles involved in property-damage-only crashes. Of the 4,584 large trucks involved in fatal crashes, 74 percent were combination trucks.

• Motorcycles in fatal crashes had the highest proportion of collisions with fixed objects (25.2 percent), and large trucks in fatal crashes had the lowest proportion (3.5 percent).

• More than 94 percent of the 11 million vehicles involved in motor vehicle crashes in 2005 were passenger cars or light trucks.

• Large trucks accounted for 8 percent of the vehicles in fatal crashes, but only 3 percent of the vehicles involved in injury crashes and 5 percent of the vehicles involved in property-damage-only crashes. Of the 4,932 large trucks involved in fatal crashes, 74 percent were combination trucks.

• The proportion of vehicles that rolled over in fatal crashes (21.1 percent) was 4 times as high as the proportion in injury crashes (5.3 percent) and 16 times as high as the proportion in property-damage-only crashes (1.3 percent).

• Compared with other vehicle types, utility vehicles experienced the highest rollover rates in fatal crashes (35.4 percent) and in property-damage-only crashes (2.6 percent). Large trucks experienced the highest rollover rate in injury crashes (9.9 percent).

• Fires occurred in 0.1 percent of the vehicles involved in all traffic crashes in 2005. For fatal crashes, however, fires occurred in 3 percent of the vehicles involved.

Motorcycle accident statistics are gathered and calculated after much intensive and detailed study on motorcycle accidents. They are immensely important for all, authorities as well as motorcyclists, and serve many functions. The data gathered by studying the statistics offered helps in effectively combating accidents, or at least in taking steps to try to combat them.

Studies indicate that motorcycle accident rate is on the rise in USA. Brain damages, soft tissue damage, joint, bones, and shoulder breakage are often caused by motorcycle accidents.

Some studies conducted by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration and Hurt Study findings, along with statistics provided by the Motorcycle Industry Council, have shed much light on the rate and causes of motorcycle accidents in our country.

A report by the National Highway Traffic Administration states that between 1975 and 1999, motorcycle accidents claimed the lives of 38,000 motorcyclists. The Fatality Analysis Reporting System has analyzed possible reasons for the increasing accidents. Some causal factors include the following: rural roads, high percentage of alcohol content in blood, night driving (which accounts for 60% of fatalities), vision problems, and undivided roadways, among. Weather does not account for most accident cases.

Head injuries top the list for causing deaths. Lack of helmet use or a proper license were found among many who were fatally injured. For instance, the report states that ‘one out of five motorcycle riders’ who were fatally injured in 1996 did not have a valid license. Hence, less trained riders get injured frequently.

Statistics show that wearing safety gear as well as taking defensive driving lessons reduces one’s chances of an accident. The Motorcycle Safety Foundation provides safety lessons for new drivers.

Motorcycle accident statistics are extremely important, supplying relevant data and making us understand how to effectively reduce accidents and injuries.

Here’s a summary of NHTSA DOT HS 809 360

• Single vehicle motorcycle crashes account for about 45 percent of all motorcyclist fatalities. More than 38,000 motorcyclists have died in single vehicle motorcycle crashes between 1975 and 1999. The report claims to provide data for insight into possible causes for these fatalities.

• According to the report, from 1990 through 1999, there were a total of 11,038 fatal single vehicle motorcycle crashes. During that same time period, there were an estimated 294,000 non-fatal single vehicle motorcycle crashes. Of these, an estimated 39,000 involved property damage only and 255,000 involved injuries.

• Motorcyclist fatalities in single vehicle motorcycle crashes decreased each year from 1990 to 1996, reaching a historic low of 937 in 1996 and again in 1997. In 1998, the fatalities increased to 1,042 (11.2 percent increase); in 1998 and in 1999 they increased to 1,140 (9.4 percent). The overall increase in motorcyclist fatalities from 1997 to 1999 was 203 (21.7 percent).

Report Conclusions: Findings from the FARS (Fatality Analysis Reporting System) data illustrate possible reasons for motorcyclist fatalities in single vehicle motorcycle crashes:

Helmet use among fatally injured motorcyclists below 50 percent

More motorcyclist fatalities are occurring on rural roads

High blood alcohol levels are a major problem among motorcycle operators

Half of the fatalities are related to negotiating a curve prior to the crash

Over 80 percent of the fatalities occur off roadway

Undivided roadways account for a majority of the fatalities

Almost two thirds of the fatalities were associated with speeding as an operator contributing factor in the crash

Almost 60 percent of motorcyclist fatalities occur at night

Collision with a fixed object is a significant factor in over half of the fatalities

Braking and steering maneuvers possibly contribute for almost 25 percent of the fatalities

More riders age 40 and over are getting killed

Almost one third of the fatally injured operators did not have a proper license

1998 Motorcycle Accident Statistics:

2,284 motorcyclists died and approximately 49,000 were injured in highway crashes in the United States.

Per mile traveled in 1998, a motorcyclist is approximately 16 times more likely to die in a crash than an automobile occupant. And 3x (times) as likely to be injured.

Head injury is a leading cause of death in motorcycle crashes.

In 1998, 46% of fatally injured motorcycle drivers were not wearing helmets at the time of the crash.

NHTSA estimates that motorcycle helmets reduce the likelihood of a fatality by 29% in a crash.

In 1998, 41% of all motorcycle drivers involved in fatal crashes were speeding.

Nearly one out of five motorcycle drivers (18%) involved in fatal crashes in 1998 was operating with an invalid license at the time of the collision.

Motorcycle drivers involved in fatal crashes in 1998 had higher intoxication rates than any other type of motor vehicle driver at 31%.

In 1998, 500 motorcyclists lives were saved due to helmet usage; 307 could have been saved.

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration

2008 National Statistics

- Motorcyclist fatalities reached 5,290 in 2008, accounting for 14% of total crash fatalities.

- This is the 11th consecutive year that there has been an increase in motorcycle crash deaths.

- The number of individuals injured in motorcycle crashes has decreased for the first time since 1998, declining 6.8%.

2007 National Statistics

- In the United States, motorcycle accident deaths increased by 6.6%, accounting for almost one in eight motor vehicle deaths.

- There were 5,154 motorcycle fatalities nationwide, and 2007 was the 10th straight year of increase.

- Biker deaths hit an all-time low in 1997. Since that time, they have increased by 128%.

In 2007, 49% of bikers killed in crashes were age 40 or over.

- 31% of motorcycle crash fatalities occurred in the under 30-year-old group in 2007.

- 20% of crash fatalities occurred in the 30- to 39-year-old group in 2007.

- 27% percent of motorcycle riders involved in fatal accidents had a blood alcohol concentration (BAC) over 0.08 percent.

- In 2007, 36% of all bikers involved in fatal crashes were speeding, compared with 24% of passenger car drivers.

- 26% of bikers involved in fatal crashes were riding without a valid license in 2007.

There are about 75% more motorcycles registered now than there were 10 years ago.

Train accidents happen for many reasons. Railroad crossings may be littered with debris, rail lines may be obstructed, mechanism failure, or simple human error can be at fault when a train derails or slams into a car. Whenever there is a train wreck, serious personal injuries can occur due to the massive bulk and weight of trains. The extensive damage caused by train and railroad accidents can cause great losses of property and human life. In a statistical study released by the Department of Transportation’s (DOT) Federal Railroad Administration (FRA), the administration found that there are 2,547 train accidents annually.

Train – Car Accident Statistics

Every 115 minutes, either a person or vehicle is hit by a train.

Nearly half of all collisions at railroad crossings occur where automatic warning devices such as flashing lights or flashing lights with gates are present and are functioning properly.

Many people believe they will hear an oncoming train or that a train will be able to stop in time; however, if a 150-car freight train is traveling 50 miles per hour, it will take over a mile to stop.

It goes without saying that when a 3000 pound car and a train weighing several hundred tons meet- tragedy results. According to the US Department of Transportation there are about 5,800 vehicle train crashes each year in the United States-usually at Railroad crossings. These accidents kill 600 people and injure about 2,300. More than 50% of all railroad fatal accidents occur at crossings with passive, or inadequate safety devices (often none at all!). During daylight about 75% of car train collisions involve the train hitting the car, while at night about 50% of the time the car runs into the train! Drive safe! Expect the Unexpected at train crossings!

Train accidents happen for many reasons. Railroad crossings may be littered with debris, rail lines may be obstructed, mechanism failure, or simple human error can be at fault when a train derails or slams into a car. Whenever there is a train wreck, serious personal injuries can occur due to the massive bulk and weight of trains. The extensive damage caused by train and railroad accidents can cause great losses of property and human life. In a statistical study released by the Department of Transportation’s (DOT) Federal Railroad Administration (FRA), the administration found that there are 2,547 train accidents annually.

Have you or someone you know been involved in a train wreck or railroad accident? Contact our Train Wreck Attorneys to get help with your railroad accident case today!

The Federal Railroad Administration (FRA) takes train safety and railroad safety concerns very seriously.

Rail accidents and/or incidents include:

- Derailment

- Train-train collisions

- Train-car collisions

- Train-person collisions

- Damage to property Read the rest of this entry »