St. Louis Car Collision Attorneys

Missouri Auto Accident Statistics

In recognition of how serious car crashes can be, the federal government has kept statistics on them since the 1960s. Thanks to increased awareness and improvements in technology, national injury and fatality rates have gone down since that time. But auto accidents are still the leading cause of death among Americans aged two to 34, according to a 2004 report from the federal National Center for Health Statistics.

In 2006, according to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, auto accidents killed 42,642 Americans and injured 2.5 million more. That's a rate of 1.42 deaths for every 100 million vehicle miles traveled, and 14.24 deaths for every 100,000 Americans. Someone in the United States died in a car crash every 12 minutes in 2006, for a total of 117 every day. And the cost to our economy from crashes topped $230 billion that year.

In Missouri, accidents on the road killed nearly 1,100 people in 2006, including 63 in Kansas City and 47 in St. Louis, according to the NHTSA. And despite all of our technological and public-awareness progress, the fatality rate in Missouri actually went up by five percent between 1975 and 2006. Just over half, 54%, of those who died in a Missouri traffic accident in 2006 were drivers or passengers in cars. But another 32.8% were in light trucks (mostly pickups, SUVs and minivans), and 9.2% were on motorcycles.

In 2006, 46% of all Missouri fatalities came from a crash where somebody had been drinking. Among drivers who died in Missouri crashes, 40% had been drinking at least a little. Similarly, Missouri drivers were speeding in 42.9% of all fatal accidents. And 76 Missouri pedestrians died in a traffic accident in 2006, a rate of 1.3 deaths for every 100,000 people in our state.

Nationally, statistics show that one form of irresponsible driving often comes packaged with others. The NHTSA's 2006 statistics show that among drivers killed in traffic accidents, those who died with the most alcohol in their blood were the most likely to have a previous crash, speeding conviction, DWI or license suspension on their records. Among drivers whose blood-alcohol concentration was 0.08% or higher (making them legally drunk in Missouri), 23% of those killed had license suspensions or revocations, and another 23% had speeding convictions.

Fourteen percent of these drivers had prior crashes and eight percent had DWI convictions. Even those drivers who were not over the legal limit, but who were intoxicated, were more likely to have these things on their records than drivers who died with no alcohol in their blood at all.

Motorcyclists, bicyclists and pedestrians are particularly vulnerable on the road, because they don't have seat belts, airbags and steel frames to protect them from the physical impact of a traffic crash. Statistics show that motorcyclists are 37 times more likely to die in a crash than drivers; they accounted for 11% of fatalities in crashes in 2006. In Missouri, 93 motorcyclists died in crashes in 2006. Of these, 18.9% weren't wearing legally required helmets, and 43% had at least some alcohol in their blood.

The same year, pedestrian deaths accounted for 11.2% of traffic fatalities nationwide and 6.9% of fatalities in Missouri. Nationally, bicyclists were 1.8% of all traffic fatalities, whereas in Missouri, they accounted for 0.06%. Children 14 and younger, who are most likely to be on foot, on bicycles or incorrectly restrained in a vehicle, accounted for 4% of all traffic fatalities, 7% of pedestrian deaths and 13% of cyclist deaths.

Authorities agree that drivers could avoid most auto accidents by paying close attention to the road and avoiding dangerous behaviors like speeding and drinking. But even the best driver in the world isn't safe if other motorists don't take these kinds of precautions. People who were injured by other people's careless behavior have the right to ask for compensation for their injuries, medical bills and more.

To learn more about your rights under Missouri law, call the law firm of Page || Cagle. Our St Louis car accident lawyers help injured people throughout Missouri win financial compensation for deaths or serious injuries caused by carelessness on the road. For a free evaluation of your case, fill out our confidential online contact form or call us toll free at 1.866.620.5757 or 314.322.8515.

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