Car Accidents Occur More Often on Philadelphia Roads Than Anywhere Else in Pennsylvania
If you regularly drive in or around Philadelphia, you may know that car accidents happen with some regularity on Philly roads. According to a recent study discussed in CBS New Philadelphia, car crashes happen more often in Philadelphia than anywhere else in the state of Pennsylvania. Indeed, the new study reports that “Philadelphia and its immediate surrounding counties are among the most dangerous roads in Pennsylvania.” In fact, between 2004 and 2018, “Philadelphia County had the most car accident deaths during the period with 2,422.”
A total of 31,342 fatal car crashes occurred in Pennsylvania between 2004 and 2018, and the largest percentage of them happened in Philadelphia County. The second-highest rate of fatal accidents occurred in Allegheny County, where Pittsburgh is located. Together, car accident fatalities in Philadelphia and Pittsburgh comprise 5% of all car accident deaths in the commonwealth, the study says. After Philadelphia and Pittsburgh, Lancaster County had the third-highest rate of deadly collisions with a total of 1,345 deaths, and Bucks County and Berks County were close behind.
The most common cause of all deadly collisions in Philadelphia County was speeding. Additional frequent causes of deadly collisions were intoxicated driving and distracted driving. Many of these car accidents could be prevented. Indeed, the majority of all auto collisions in Philadelphia result from driver error, speeding, drunk driving, and distracted driving.
Getting the Facts About Car Accidents
According to the National Safety Council (NSC), as of 2017, there were a total of approximately 273 million vehicles on the roads in the United States, around 225 million licensed drivers, and more than 3.2 billion miles traveled by those cars and drivers on an annual basis. Given the sheer number of automobiles and drivers on U.S. roads, it should come as no surprise that motor vehicle collisions occur as often as they do.
The NSC lists the following as the most pressing motor vehicle safety issues that often result in car crashes:
- Alcohol-impaired driving;
- Distracted driving;
- Hot car deaths;
- Road rage;
- Speeding; and
- Driving improperly in a work zone.
According to the NSC, about 90% of all motor vehicle crashes involve human error. As such, “being an attentive and alert driver can help prevent crashes that lead to unintentional injury and death.” The following are some additional facts about distracted driving, drunk driving, and speeding:
- 2,841 people were killed in distracted driving accidents in 2018;
- At any given point during daylight hours, more than 3% of drivers are using hand-held cell phones (many illegally depending on the state where they are driving);
- 10,874 people sustained fatal injuries in alcohol-impaired accidents in 2017;
- More than 26% of all alcohol-impaired crashes involved a drunk driver between the ages of 21 and 34;
- Speeding is a factor in more than 26% of all deadly traffic accidents; and
- Speeding resulted in a total of 9,717 car accident fatalities in 2017.
If you or someone you love sustained injuries in a Philadelphia car accident, you should discuss your case with an experienced car accident attorney.
