Maryland residents today should be able to feel safer than ever before when taking to the road. Whether as a motorist, passenger, bicyclist, motorcyclist or pedestrian, there are strong laws and rapidly advancing safety technology in vehicles designed in large part to reduce accidents and keep more people safe. Sadly it seems that even with these advances, more is needed to be done to stem the tide of deaths in motor vehicle accidents.
According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, a total of 505 people lost their lives on Maryland roads and highways in 2016 alone. Of those who died, 130 were killed in drunk driving accidents and another 127 perished in crashes in which excessive speed was identified as a factor. These deaths do not only represent drivers and their passengers as 104 of the people who died were pedestrians. Motorcyclists and bicyclists accounted for 75 and 16 of the deaths, respectively.
In the five years spanning 2012 through 2016, Prince George’s County was the location of 443 vehicular fatalities. Alcohol and speed were factors in 156 and 140 of these deaths, respectively. Among the people killed were 106 pedestrians, 74 motorcyclists and six bicyclists. These numbers are tragic reminders of the reality that human error and decision making may play in car accidents and how hard it is to really be safe around negligent people.
If you would like to learn more about the factors that commonly contribute to fatal motor vehicle accidents and how to get help after the loss of a loved one, please feel free to visit the accident compensation page of our Maryland personal injury website.