Slight Decline Seen in U.S. Traffic Deaths for 2022 | Burns, Bryant, Cox, Rockefeller & Durkin, P.A.

Air bags deployed from a nasty car accident involving two black vehicles. Glass and crash debris is all over the road.

Despite the minor decrease, more needs to be done to prevent serious and fatal car accidents.

Though traffic fatalities decreased slightly from the year before, the number of people killed in car accidents in 2022 remained high, according to a preliminary estimate released last month.

The statistical projection from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) showed that an estimated 31,785 people were killed in motor vehicle crashes during the first 9 months of 2022. That’s a decrease of 0.2 percent during the same period in 2021.

But in New Hampshire, there was a troubling trend in the opposite direction. The NHTSA estimated there were 109 traffic fatalities during the first 9 months of 2022 – an increase of 18.5% from the year before when there were 92.

A call for increased safety measures

Jonathan Adkins, Executive Director of the Governors Highway Safety Association (GHSA), said that while the reduction in national fatalities was welcome, more needs to be done to make roads safer.

“We cannot afford to inch our way to zero traffic deaths,” he said. “We must act now – and quickly – to prevent crashes and save lives. Adoption and implementation of the Safe System approach outlined in the U.S. Department of Transportation’s National Roadway Safety Strategy offers a proven roadmap for making meaningful gains in reducing traffic crashes, injuries and deaths.”

The Safe System approach proposes multiple changes to help save lives. It calls for equitable enforcement of traffic laws, improved infrastructure to help protect all road users, community engagement campaigns, improved vehicle technology, and investing in improved post-crash care.

Causes of fatal crashes in New Hampshire

Adkins noted that a slight decline in 2022 comes after “an unprecedented two-year surge in roadway deaths and dangerous driving.”

“This giant backward slide is due in part to a spike in unsafe motorist behaviors that included speeding, impaired and distracted driving,” he said.

According to the New Hampshire Office of Highway Safety, there were 98 fatal crashes in the state in 2020. The primary causes of these crashes were determined to be related to:

Alcohol (33)
Drugs (19)
Human error, including distraction (7)
Operator error, including failure to yield (13)

An experienced car accident lawyer can help.

A fatal car accident can leave families devastated. They are left to mourn the loss of a loved one and also may have to deal with funeral costs and unpaid medical expenses. When a negligent driver causes a fatal car accident, the victim's family deserves justice.

But the legal process can be complicated. Negligent drivers who cause fatal car accidents often deny doing anything wrong and refuse to accept responsibility. Insurance companies aren’t on your side, either. Their main goal is to find a way to justify paying you as little as possible—if anything at all. That’s why it’s important to get legal advice following a fatal car crash as soon as possible.

The fatal car accident lawyers at Burns, Bryant, Cox, Rockefeller & Durkin, P.A. understand what families go through after losing a loved one. Our attorneys deal with insurance companies on behalf of family members to fight for the financial compensation they deserve. Contact us to learn more about how we can help during a free consultation. We are located in Dover and Portsmouth, New Hampshire.