Safer Cars Does Not Mean Safer Roads

These days, it's pretty standard for cars to incorporate top of the road safety features. These range from rear-view cameras, l...

These days, it's pretty standard for cars to incorporate top of the road safety features. These range from rear-view cameras, lane departure warnings, traction control and even blind spot detection.

Driving a secure vehicle also can mean extra money in your pocket as drivers can save on automobile insurance cost. A automobile insurance company is usually ready to provide cheaper automobile insurance if your vehicle has safety features. However, safer cars don't necessarily mean safer roads across the country.

From January to June, approximately 18,720 people have died on U.S. roads. As a results of a growing economy, people are driving more miles compared to recession level data. Less unemployment means more cars are on the road getting people to and from work and extra money for leisure activities. In 2017, Americans traveled 3.22 trillion miles consistent with the Federal Highway Administration.

Factor in more miles driven along side speeding, drug and alcohol impaired driving and distracted driving and therefore the deathrate is at an all-time high.

South Carolina leads the state in traffic fatality rates per miles traveled. In 2017, the state had 1.88 deaths per 100 million miles traveled, which is nearly twice the national average. Illinois reported 1,090 traffic deaths.

This trend prompted Governor Rauner to declare August 17 as Traffic Fatality Awareness Day at the Illinois State Fair through a partnership with the Illinois Department of Transportation, the Illinois State Police, Illinois Department of Health, Illinois Secretary of State and Mothers Against Drunk Driving.

States across the country have launched similar awareness efforts like Vision Zero. Vision Zero's goal is to strategically eliminate traffic fatalities and injuries while increasing safe, healthy and equitable mobility for everybody .

Reducing speed is probably the foremost effective thanks to reduce the fatalities. Speed increases the space it takes a car to return to an entire stop. The speed of impact is additionally directly correlated to the danger of death. the upper the speed of impact, the upper the probability of a passenger dying becomes.

Even with lower speeds, it's hard for cops to enforce these lower limits. Automated cameras are already unpopular and adding more would even be costly.

Every year, an estimated 40,000 Americans die on the road. With effective legislation and commitment, we will all work together to scale back that statistic.

According to research by the Overseas Development Institute and therefore the WRI Ross Center for Sustainable Cities, a method to form progress is to treat traffic fatalities and road safety as a public health issue. the general public has got to stop blaming drivers for collisions and appearance to policymakers for tactics to assist prevent them.