Interesting Findings from Pennsylvania Crash Info Tool
By: Cohen, Placitella & Roth @ Apr 18, 2017
The state of Pennsylvania diligently records data about automobile crashes that occur in the state. Maintained by the Department of Transportation, this data provides valuable information about a variety of aspects of crashes, including the number of fatal crashes, information about distracted drivers, and data regarding proper belt usage.
Proper Belt Usage
The good news is that the data shows that more people who were involved in car crashes in the state over a five-year period were properly belted, or using safety seats, than were those who were improperly belted. The bad news, however, is that the data also shows that a significant number of people were improperly belted, which could have contributed to the severity of injuries. For example, in Philadelphia alone over the five-year period for which data is available, 203 people were improperly belted. During that same time period, 936 people were properly belted or properly using safety seats.
Distracted Driver Data
Distracted driving is a serious concern in Pennsylvania. After increasing in 2015 from the previous three years, there was a slight decline in the number of distracted driver fatal crashes per year in 2016 (39 in 2015 compared to 35 in 2016).
Distracted driving continues to be a problem that primarily affects young people. To be sure, data over the past five years (2012 through the end of 2016) shows that distracted drivers involved in fatal crashes are most likely to be 20 years of age (18 drivers over the five-year period were age 20). The next most at risk age is 21, followed by 31. Drivers ages 43 and 45 were least likely to be in distracted driving fatal crashes.
Fatal Crash Data
The data has some other good news to share: the number of fatal crashes in the state appears to be on the decline. Consider the number of fatal crashes over the past five years:
- 2012: 1,211 crashes resulting in 1,310 fatalities
- 2013: 1,117 crashes resulting in 1,208 fatalities
- 2014: 1,107 crashes resulting in 1,195 fatalities
- 2015: 1,102 crashes resulting in 1,200 fatalities
- 2016: 1,088 crashes resulting in 1,188 fatalities (the lowest number of fatalities, per year, over the five-year period)
How You Can Improve Your Safety – Don’t Become a Statistic
The numbers above should serve as a reminder to drivers that when it comes to car accidents and serious injuries or fatalities, you have an opportunity to reduce your risk of an accident with safe driving practices. Never drive distracted, make sure that you always wear your seatbelt, and request that others in your car are properly belted too. Of course, following other traffic laws and safety rules, such as properly maintaining your car and driving the speed limit, can help to prevent an accident, too.
If you are involved in a crash in Pennsylvania, our experienced attorneys at the law office of Cohen, Placitella & Roth, P.C. can assist you in recovering damages. Contact us today to learn what we can do for you.
