It seems like there is always a distracted driving accident, and often a fatality, in the news, but could the problem be even bigger than what is currently reported? Could more families than we think be mourning the loss of their loved ones because of distracted drivers?
A New Report Says Distracted Driving Fatalities Are Under-reported
A new report from the National Safety Council indicates that distracted driving deaths may be significantly under-reported in the United States. The National Safety Council believes that the under-reporting by state and federal authorities occurs because of the way many accidents are entered into the system by local police officers. There are many reasons why local officers may not be recording accidents.
Regardless of the reasons, however, the impact may be significant. In 2011, there were approximately 32,000 deaths from motor vehicle accident injuries in the United States. Distracted drivers who were using a cell phone at the time of a crash reportedly caused only 385 of those deaths. When fatalities are under-reported, the significance of the problem may be underestimated. Perhaps, if we really knew how many lives were taken each year by distracted drivers, tougher laws or more effective public awareness campaigns would occur. Perhaps lives could be saved.
Call a Virginia Wrongful Death Attorney if Your Loved One’s Been Killed in an Accident
If your loved one has been killed because of another motorist’s negligence, you deserve to know what happened, and you deserve to recover damages. While we can’t bring back your loved one, we can fight to hold the person who caused his death accountable, and we can fight to get you fair financial compensation for your economic and emotional injuries.
For more information, we encourage you to contact one of our Haymarket wrongful death attorneys directly via this website or by phone at 800-741-1012.
