Lots of my friends and relatives in the United States of America comment how much easier and safer it is to drive in the US. There are lots of reasons given for the same: Most prominent amongst those being that driving a car is more economic and convenient as opposed to using public transport!

But after reading about Ruhi and the fatal car crash that 6 Indians had to face, the question here is…

Is it safe to drive a car in the US?

According to Car-Accidents, Car crash stats are:

There were nearly 6,420,000 auto accidents in the United States in 2005. The financial cost of these crashes is more than 230 Billion dollars. 2.9 million people were injured and 42,636 people killed. About 115 people die every day in vehicle crashes in the United States — one death every 13 minutes.

In 2003 there were 6,328,000 car accidents in the US. There were 2.9 million injuries and 42,643 people were killed in auto accidents.

In 2002, there were an estimated 6,316,000 car accidents in the USA. There were about 2.9 million injuries and 42,815 people were killed in auto accidents in 2002.

There were an estimated 6,356,000 car accidents in the US in 2000. There were about 3.2 million injuries and 41,821 people were killed in auto accidents in 2000 based on data collected by the Federal Highway Administration.

Wow! Now that speaks a lot!!! The thing to note here is that, the probability of a crash leading to death is much higher in the US because of the speeds the cars attain on highways.

The causes of car accidents

• Driver falling asleep Estimates are that 10-20% of fatal accidents and about 5 to 10% of all car accidents may be related to tired drivers.
• Weather It could be because of Snow or Rain or even fog.
• Toxinated driving It is usually caused by doped or drunk drivers. There are about 17,000 alcohol related car accident deaths in the United States each year, this means that there is a drunk driving death every 31 minutes. Alcohol was a factor in 39 percent of all fatal accidents and in 7 percent of all crashes in 2004.
• Cell phone distractions It is estimated that cell phone distracted drivers are four times more likely to be in a car wreck. According to a Harvard University study, cell phones cause over 200 deaths and half a million injuries each year.
• Playing Music Loud music in the cars can lead to distraction and hence leading to car crashes
• Collision with animals on the road

Can you think of any other reasons that could cause car crashes?

Be Safe. Drive Safe.