Edifying Statistics: Fatal Auto Accidents in Virginia

The good news: Virginia traffic fatalities decreased in 2008 (825) and 2009 (757), after rising three years in a row to 1,027 in 2007. Road accident fatalities in Virginia are also consistently lower than the U.S. average.

Let's not elaborate on "the bad news," since clearly any road accident involving death is a tragedy. However, detailed statistics are quite useful for understanding how safe we are when we hit the road.

Alcohol-impaired driving fatalities have followed the same trend, rising until 2007 (303) and then coming down significantly to 243 in 2009. This represents 32 percent of all fatalities in all crashes, and the percentage is the same throughout the entire country.

Seatbelt use related fatalities have gone up, from 35 percent in 2005 to 41 percent in 2009. Extrapolating the fatality rates with or without restraint, the statistics show that, at current seatbelt use, some 260 lives could be saved every year, and an additional 115 would be saved if 100 percent of motorists buckled up.

Per type of vehicle, fatality rates (in percent of total fatalities) have stayed about the same since 2005 for all types of vehicles, and are as follows in 2009:

• Passenger cars: 46 percent
• Light trucks: 24 percent
• Vans: 4 percent
• Large trucks: 2 percent

The number of motorcyclists killed in accidents has gone up from 60 in 2005 (7 percent of total) to 77 in 2009 (10 percent of total). This worrying trend could be explained in part by an increased number of registered motorcycles on the road.

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration's (NHTSA) statistical analysis of traffic fatalities goes into much greater detail than can be outlined here, showing such information as a breakdown by County. Neither Fauquier nor Culpeper Counties are among the ten worst offenders, but all details can be found on the NHTSA website.

If you or a loved one has suffered from a Virginia car, truck, or motorcycle accident, please contact our Warrenton or Culpeper office today. You can discuss your case with one of our skilled, dedicated attorneys to see how we can help you secure fair compensation.