Despite efforts to improve highway traffic safety, the raw number of fatal accidents in Georgia has increased by over 10% since 1975. In 1975, according to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, or NHTSA, there were 1,360 deaths related to motor vehicle accidents in Georgia, while in 2017, there were 1,540 deaths, an increase of 13%.
While certainly not good news, in context, the increase may not be as bad as it seems. The population of this state has grown considerably in the past generation. With that growth comes more vehicles on the road and more miles being driven.
In this respect, the fatality rate per million miles driven has declined considerably, from 3.46 in 1975 down to 1.23 in 2017. This is a decrease by 64% and, arguably, means that Georgia’s roads indeed are quite a bit safer than they were 30 or so years ago.
Still, Georgia has room for improvement. The fatality rate is higher than that across the nation, and it is also higher than that of many other states. Moreover, like some other states, Georgia’s roads have arguably been getting more dangerous since 2010, when the fatality rate hit a low of 1.12 and the number of traffic-related deaths bottomed out at 1,247.
The statistics themselves do not explain why these fatal accidents happened, but one can always turn to the usual suspects. Bad and careless habits like distracted driving, drunk or drugged driving, speeding and aggressive driving, and the like are frequently contributors to fatal motor vehicle accidents. These sorts of behaviors are controllable, and thus, many if not most fatal accidents are preventable.
Those who are responsible for causing a deadly traffic accident can be held legally and financially accountable for the losses they cause.