Child Highway Safety – The Good And The Bad News
Child Fatalities
I was reading the latest study conducted by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) regarding the status of child safety on the highways of our nation and thought it might be useful to share this information with my readers, so here goes.
In 2008, there were nearly 61 million children age 14 and younger in the United States. This age group made up 20 percent of the total U.S. resident population in 2008. Motor vehicle crashes are the leading cause of death for ages 3 to 14 (based on 2006 figures, which are the latest mortality data currently available from the National Center for Health Statistics).
In 2008, there were a total of 37,261 traffic fatalities in the United States. The 14-and-younger age group accounted for 4 percent (1,347) of those traffic fatalities. This age group accounted for 3 percent (968) of all vehicle occupant fatalities, 8 percent (193,000) of all the people injured in motor vehicle crashes, and 8 percent (168,000) of all the vehicle occupants injured in crashes. During 2008, fatalities in this age group (1,347) decreased 20 percent from the 1,680 fatalities in 2007.
Every day in the United States, an average of 4 children age 14 and younger were killed and 529 were injured in motor vehicle crashes during 2008. In the 14-and-younger age group, males accounted for 60 percent of the fatalities and 48 percent of those injured in motor vehicle crashes during 2008.
Alcohol-Impaired Driving Crashes and Children
In 2008, a total of 1,347 children age 14 and younger were killed in motor vehicle driving crashes. Out of those 216 deaths, about half (99) were occupants of a vehicle with a driver who had a blood alcohol concentration (BAC) level of .08 or higher.
Pedestrians
There were a total of 4,378 pedestrian fatalities in 2008, of which the 14-and-younger age group accounted for 270 (6%)of those fatalities. About one-fifth (20%) of the traffic fatalities in the 14-and-younger age group were pedestrians. In 1998 there were 540 pedestrian fatalities in the 14-and-younger age group. From 1998 to 2008, the number of pedestrian fatalities in this age group decreased by 50 percent, with the 4 to 7-year-old age group showing the largest decrease (59%). Of the total 270 pedestrian fatalities among children age 14 and younger in 2008, 173 (64%) of those killed were males. In 2008, an estimated 69,000 pedestrians were injured, 13,000 of those injured were age 14 and younger, and males accounted for 52 percent (7,000) of those 13,000 injured.
Pedalcyclists
A total of 716 pedalcyclists were killed in motor vehicle crashes in 2008. The 14-and-younger age group accounted for 11 percent (81) of those fatalities, and males accounted for 74 percent (60) of the fatalities among pedalcyclists age 14 and younger. The 81 pedalcyclist fatalities in 2008 for the 14-and-younger age group represent a decrease of 62 percent from the 212 killed in 1998. In 2008, an estimated 52,000 pedalcyclists were injured in motor vehicle traffic crashes. Twenty-one percent (or an estimated 11,000) of the pedalcyclists who were injured were age 14 or younger.
The good news is that in each category the numbers are down, in some areas by over 50%, but the bad news is that children are still dying at an alarming rate. The majority of these deaths are the result of adults being stupid by driving drunk or by allowing themselves to be distracted while they have children in the car with them. If you observe a drunk driver and there are children in the car don’t hesitate to call 911 in town and *847 if you are in rural areas and notify the police.
If you or a loved one is injured in a Nashville automobile accident contact the experienced Nashville automobile accident attorney’s at Philip Miller & Associates and find out about your rights and remedies.
Phillip Miller is a Tennessee Accident Attorney specializing in
Phillip has an AVVO rating of 10.0 (Superb), has been designated as a “Superlawyer”, and is the President Elect of the Tennessee Association for Justice.
Click Here to Contact Phillip
