Traffic Deaths v Population Density USA v other countries

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MSI
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Traffic Deaths v Population Density USA v other countries

Post by MSI »

Economist: Vol 416,Number 8945 July 2015: Traffic Accidents: Road Kill
which includes:
  • In 2014 some 32,675 people were killed in traffic accidents.
  • In 2013, the latest year for which detailed data are available, some 2.3m were injured—or one in 100 licensed drivers.
  • For every billion miles Americans drive, roughly 11 people are killed.
  • In most of the rich world, far fewer people die in road accidents these days
  • Between 2009 and 2013 pedestrian deaths jumped by 15% as the economy recovered.
    • In Britain, over the same period, the number fell by a fifth.
  • Many states are as safe to drive in as Europe: New Jersey, Rhode Island and Massachusetts all have low accident rates.
  • In rural, sparsely-populated areas, the death rates can be shocking. In Wyoming in 2014, 131 people were killed in fatal crashes
    • traffic-accident death rate higher than in most of sub-Saharan Africa.
      According to the Wyoming Highway Patrol, many deaths involve drivers who refuse to wear seatbelts.
  • Across America, almost a third of traffic deaths involve alcohol.
  • The number of motorcyclists killed each year has more than doubled since the late 1990s
    • In 31 states, most adult bikers do not have to wear helmets.
  • A newer problem is mobile phones.
    • A study in 2011 by the Centres for Disease Control found that 69% of American drivers had used their mobile phone at the wheel in the previous 30 days, and 31% had read or sent texts or e-mails.
      Among European countries, only Portugal was as bad. Just 14 states ban drivers from using hand-held phones while driving
The trouble, says Chris Cochran of California’s Office of Traffic Safety, is that making driving safer tends to mean making it slower and more annoying.
Drivers anywhere tend to dislike that.

See the full article: Traffic Accidents: Road Kill
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