To avoid lengthy discussions about the meaning of "good," let's agree on a simple criterion: good driving means less fatal accidents.
Granted, it is a blunt way to describe the art of driving, but we do not have better ones at our disposal. Few detailed studies have been made about Virginia auto accident injuries or driving behavior. Most of the reliable statistical analysis concerns vehicle crash fatalities.
The latest Fatality Facts 2009 study by the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety shows a wide range of driving behavior (read: fatal accident rate) across the U.S., from 4.8 deaths per 100,000 people in D.C. to 24.6 in Wyoming.
Virginia, with 9.6 motor vehicle crash fatalities per 100,000 inhabitants, is close to the national average of 11. In number of victims, this represents 757 for Virginia and 33,808 for the nation.
Are you more at risk in certain types of vehicles?
The distribution of accident fatalities in Virginia is uneven for different types of road users. Motorcyclists and pedestrians are far more likely to be fatally hurt than truck drivers, as illustrated in the following table:
Another indication of how drivers behave in Virginia can be found in the statistics of fatal crashes per type of accident. The percentage of vehicle occupants killed in single-vehicle crashes in Virginia is 61, as compared to 53 percent nationwide. This is certainly not a good result, whatever "good" means.
If you or a loved one has been injured in a Virginia car crash, please contact our Warrenton or Culpeper office today. You can discuss your accident case with one of our skilled and dedicated attorneys to see how we can help you secure fair compensation.
