Automobile crashes are deadly. They kill lots of people every year. In 1999, 41,611 people died in motor vehicle crashes in the US alone. The rate is improving, however, that's 7% less than in 1975, even though the volume of traffic has increased.
Some interesting facts about car crashes and fatalities in them:
- Females are less likely to die in an auto accident than males.
- Airbags reduce driver fatalities in front collisions by 26% when used in conjunction with a seatbelt.
- Of the people killed in auto accidents, 29% had blood alcohol levels of .10% or more (drunk).
- Daytime running lights (essentially headlights) reduce your likelyhood of getting in a crash during the daytime by 7%
- Per mile of road, you are 16 times more likely to be killed while riding a motorcycle than a car.
- Speed kills (above or below speed limit). As your speed doubles, your kinetic energy quadruples.
- Larger vehicles have a lower death rate for the occupents than smaller vehicles.
- 51% of SUV fatalities involved rollovers (5 times higher than cars).
Many of these statistics were shamelessly gathered from the Insurance Institute For Highway Safety.