Deaths from Car & Semi Wrecks Remain High for 2017, with 2018 Fatalities Expected to Continue Trend

2 min read

2017 roadway deaths are turning out to be some of the highest reported in decades, continuing a trend from the record set in 2016. As fatalities for 2016 maxed out at 34,748, another 34,247 people lost their lives in motor vehicle crashes in 2017. It appears that this plateau in roadway fatality rates is the new normal, though the 2017 rates are down slightly. Considering that total roadway deaths were up 6.5 percent in 2016 from the previous year, and an alarming 8.4 percent in 2015 from the previous year, a marginal rate of decrease in the number of fatal roadway collisions in 2017 is hardly something to celebrate.

Both fatal and non-fatal crashes that involve a semi-truck can have catastrophic impacts on the health and well-being of the average motorist. Of the approximately 450,000 police-reported crashes involving large trucks in 2017, there were 4,237 fatal crashes and 344,000 injury crashes. The majority of fatalities (82 percent) in collisions involving a tractor trailer were not occupants of the truck.

In April, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration released its statistical projections of traffic fatalities for the first nine months of 2018. Early estimates of these motor vehicle traffic fatalities indicate that an estimated 27,100 people died in motor vehicle traffic crashes. This represents a decrease of only two percent, as compared to 27,663 fatalities that were reported to have occurred in the first nine months of 2017.

“Dangerous actions such as speeding, distracted driving, and driving under the influence are still putting many Americans, their families and those they share the road with at risk,” said NHTSA Deputy Administrator Heidi R. King. Please make sure you and those you love are buckled up, sober, and are not distracted before getting behind the wheel of a car, semi-truck, or motorcycle.

At the Poppe Law Firm^®, we represent people who are injured in car wrecks, motorcycle wrecks, or semi-truck wrecks and other roadway accidents. If you or someone you know has been injured in a traffic accident, or if someone you know lost their life in a traffic accident, please call the Poppe Law Firm^® at (502) 895-3400 or fill out our online intake form.