Car Accidents

There are about 3 million car-related injuries a year, 2 million permanent injuries and 40,000 deaths in the U.S. each year. The Department of Transportation's statistics indicate that accidents are generally related to irresponsible driving behavior. About 40% of fatalities are related to drinking and driving, 30% to speeding and about 33% from a car going off the road (these groups are not mutually exclusive). Seat belt use is only at about 68% nationally, despite it being a highly cost-effective means to prevent fatalities and serious injuries. The very young and the very old are much more likely to be involved in accidents. Car accidents are currently the number one killer of people ages 1 to 37. About 1 in 30 young drivers will be injured in an accident each year. Young drivers are four times more likely to die in car accidents and are much more prone to speed, drive recklessly, not wear their seat belts and drink and drive than middle-aged drivers. If we could reduce these dangerous behaviors, we could prevent these needless deaths and injuries
Nearly 43,000 people died in car accidents in 2002, reports the U.S. Department of Transportation's National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. This figure has increased by 1.5% from the previous year. Although the number of traffic-related injures has declined from 3.03 million to 2.92 million, the number of fatalities due to drunk driving has steadily increased. More than one-quarter of Americans have been involved in a car accident in the last five years.

http://www.car-accidents.net/car-accident-stats.html