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U.S. Transportation Secretary Anthony Foxx, on August 29, 2016 issued the following comment in a press release, "Despite decades of safety improvements, far too many people are killed on our nation’s roads every year. Solving this problem will take teamwork, so we're issuing a call to action and asking researchers, safety experts, data scientists, and the public to analyze the fatality data and help find ways to prevent these tragedies.”

2015 ended a 5-decade trend of declining fatalities when the nation lost 35,092 people in traffic crashes. These fatalities were an increase of 7.2 percent over 2014. The final data released on August 29 by the U.S. Department of Transportation’s National Highway Traffic Safety Administration showed traffic deaths rising across nearly every segment of the population. The last single-year increase of this magnitude was in 1966, when fatalities rose 8.1 percent from the previous year.

Motorcycle fatalities on U.S. roads rose 10 percent according to estimates from the Governors Highway Safety Association. Those estimates show that more than 5,000 motorcycle riders died in 2015, up from 4,548 in 2014. That makes 2015 the third year in history when the fatalities were above 5,000.

Pedestrian deaths surged by an estimated 10 percent to 4,736 in 2015 according to Fox News.

Primary cause of deaths

Experts agree the most common causes for fatal vehicle accidents are: 

• Speeding
• Intoxication
• Distracted driving
• Drowsy driving
• Failure to use seat belts 

What safety precautions work? 

The NHTSA (National Highway Traffic Safety Administration) says the following safety precautions are working: 

• Seat Belts: In 2015, the use of seat belts in passenger vehicles saved an estimated 13,941 lives of occupants ages 5 and older,
• Frontal Air Bags: An estimated 2,573 lives of occupants 13 and older were saved by frontal air bags.
• Child Restraints: An estimated 266 child occupants 4 and younger were saved by the use of child restraints,
• Motorcycle Helmets: 1,772 lives were saved by the use of motorcycle helmets.
• Minimum Drinking Age Laws: An estimated 537 lives were also saved due to minimum-drinking-age laws. 

In spite of the above safety precautions, the IIHS (Insurance Institute for Highway Safety) and other organizations report that: 

• Only 68 percent of Americans wear safety belts.
• Almost 3,400 people die each year in crashes where the frontal air bag failed to deploy.
• Roughly 2 percent of children were unrestrained in fatal accidents.
• Only 19 states have universal motorcycle helmet laws.
• While all states prohibit providing alcohol to persons under 21, 45 states have limited exceptions that allow persons under 21 to drink. 

“If you or a loved one has been injured in a motor vehicle accident, contact our experienced attorneys at Spivey Law Firm, Personal Injury Attorneys, P.A.,” said Port Charlotte Personal Injury Attorney, Randall Spivey.

Port Charlotte Personal Injury Attorney Randall L. Spivey is a Board Certified Trial Attorney – the highest recognition for competence bestowed by the Florida Bar and a distinction earned by just one (1%) percent of Florida attorneys. He has handled over 2,000 personal injury and wrongful death cases throughout Florida. For a free and confidential consultation to discuss your legal rights, contact the Spivey Law Firm, Personal Injury Attorneys, P.A., in Lee County at 239.337.7483 or toll free at 1.888.477.4839,or by email to Randall@SpiveyLaw.com. Visit SpiveyLaw.com for more information. You can contact Spivey Law Firm, Personal Injury Attorneys, and P.A. in Charlotte County at 941.764.7748 and in Collier County 239.793.7748.