Legalities of Car Accidents and Statistics of Accident Fatalities Around the World

When one hears the term "car accidents," they may think of accidents that happen on a regular basis. Drivers are unpredictable, as evidenced by news reports and other forms of media. Drivers can get drunk, reckless, or negligent when it comes to their driving, which results in vehicle accidents. Unfortunately, people might slowly become desensitized to the situation and not understand the full extent of just how horrible car accidents are, especially when they are not properly mitigated through discipline and safety methods. Perhaps a helpful way of showing the effects of car accidents to the populace is to explore the legalities of car accidents and explore the high human cost of accidents through statistics of people who die needlessly each year in these accidents.

The statistics featured below may not be updated fully, and they may not account for the entire world, but they may help you understand just how severe car accidents are. Perhaps we can prevent some accidents by becoming more aware of car accident legalities.

Car Accidents Around the World: The Basics

According to a recent fact sheet from the World Health Organization, statistics from January 2018 show that around 1.25 million people are killed in road traffic crashes each year. Of these 1.25 million accidents, 90 percent of these occur within countries with low- to middle-income residents, despite the fact that these countries actually have 54 percent of the world's overall vehicles. Unfortunately, half of the those killed in the accidents were actually considered "vulnerable road users," or motorcyclists, bicyclists, and pedestrians. If not acted upon, road traffic accidents are set to become the world's seventh leading cause of death by 2030.

Who is Involved: Those at Risk

Source: www.cdc.gov

Regarding those who are involved in car accidents worldwide, more than 90 percent of the aforementioned statistics are actually from countries with citizens earning average, low and middle incomes and wages. WHO data says traffic fatalities and injuries occur mostly within Africa.

  • Nearly 50 percent of global fatalities from car accidents are people 15 to 44 years of age. Males are more prone to be involved in these crashes than females.
  • However, it appears even in high-earning countries, those that are often involved in vehicular accidents are those from lower socioeconomic backgrounds.

What is Involved: The Risk Factors

Source: www.cdc.gov

Given the above statistics, there are actually a lot of factors that can cause car crashes around the globe. In order to formulate a safe approach in terms of road safety, perhaps it's wise to check just what are the factors involved when it comes to car accidents.

  • Speeding makes deaths more likely to happen to individuals. According to the same WHO report, even an increase of just 1 km/h in a vehicle can increase chances of fatal crashes by 4 to 5 percent.
  • Driving under the influence of alcohol and other substances can also increase the risk of fatal car crashes.
  • Negligence when it comes to using child restraints, seat belts, and helmets can drastically increase the risk of fatality among car users by as much as 40 percent.
  • Distracted driving, such as using mobile phones and other gadgets or doing other things while driving can actually make a driver four times more likely to be involved in a crash.

What Are the Options: Legalities of Accidents

Legalities of car accidents actually differ depending on where you are and what kind of laws exist there in terms of traffic. There are, though, generally a few things that are common to most countries:

  • Drivers are expected to control their vehicles and drive responsibly and safely. This means they are responsible for making sure they will not injure or cause the fatality of their passengers and other people who use the road.
  • Drivers involved in accidents have the option to sue or even seek compensation from the other party if there's some way to prove fault.

Be Aware of the Seriousness of Car Accidents

When it comes to car accidents, one should understand that just because we come across accidents often, they are not "normal" and scenes that can be ignored. One can see through the statistics listed above that countless of people are injured or killed every day as a result of vehicle accidents, and these high numbers could perhaps be improved by proper legislation or even proper discipline. Rules and laws on car accidents are strict because of these risks, and when these are understood and practiced properly, car accidents may decrease in frequency. Should you need more information on the legalities of car accidents, click here.

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