IS ZERO ROAD DEATHS A FUTURE POSSIBILITY?

Car accidents are a sad reality to everyday life in the United States, including here in the Pacific Northwest. More than 100 people lose their lives in fatal car accidents every day. These deaths add up to an astounding number. In 2017 alone, vehicle accidents claimed the lives of over 40,000 individuals in the U.S., and over 4.5 million individuals suffered injuries which were severe enough to require medical attention.

With these sobering numbers, it is no surprise that finding a way to reduce the number of car accidents is a primary concern. Many state and local government agencies are involved in programs with the goal to eliminate car accidents entirely in the future.

THE ROAD TO ZERO

This year, a study titled: “The Road to Zero: A Vision for Achieving Zero Roadway Deaths by 2050,” was released by the RAND Corporation, a nonprofit research organization which seeks to make our world a safer and more prosperous environment by conducting research to solve key public policy issues.

The authors of The Road to Zero propose several approaches which they believe can make a country without roadway deaths a reality in just over three decades. In the present day, the authors of the report suggest that fatal car accidents can be diminished by strengthening traffic laws–or, at the very least, more strongly enforcing traffic laws already in place today. The authors also propose changes to how our roads are built and maintained, emphasizing lower speed limits where car accidents are more likely to occur.

Longer-term goals which could cut down on roadway deaths include speeding up the process of integrating more advanced technology in upcoming vehicles. While many forms of technology are already present in some current vehicles, such as lane departure warnings and automatic braking, the study suggests that the more automated a vehicle becomes, the fewer car accidents the country will face.

The study also suggests shifting the way our country thinks about vehicle safety by addressing the main causes of car accidents and becoming more cognizant about how our driving patterns affect roadway safety. The authors suggest that in the present day, Americans are somewhat jaded to automobile accidents because they occur so frequently. By lowering the number of roadway deaths that occur, the study suggests that when deaths do occur, they will have more of an impact on Americans, spurring drivers to be more proactive about roadway safety in order to prevent future accidents.

INJURED IN AN ACCIDENT? WE’RE HERE TO HELP

While a future free of car accidents may be a possibility, this is not the reality of the present day. If you have been injured in Washington or Oregon in a roadway accident involving a car, bicycle, or motorcycle, the team of personal injury attorneys at Schauermann Thayer Jacobs Staples & Edwards PS are here to help.

Our attorneys work tirelessly to help clients obtain fair compensation for the injuries that they should not have suffered. To speak with an attorney about your case and take the next steps toward seeking fair compensation for your injury claim, fill out an online case evaluation form or call (360) 695-4244 today.