New York Car Accident Statistics
March 13, 2020 in Blog
We all know that New York is full of traffic congestion and car accidents are common. Recent car accident statistics reported by the New York State Department of Health and the Department of Motor Vehicles are alarming. Every day, New Yorkers are injured in car accidents, and unfortunately, injury victims who handle their car accident claims without an experienced attorney often fail to collect a financial recovery that fully and fairly compensates them for their injuries and damages.
Number Of Fatalities And Injuries
Across the state, car accidents regularly result in more than 1,000 fatalities and 11,000 serious injuries per year. Every year, there are approximately 300 pedestrian accident fatalities and 15,000 pedestrian accident injuries. Bicyclists fare slightly better, with close to 40 accident fatalities and 6,000 injuries. Annual motorcycle accidents result in more than 100 deaths and 4,000 injuries in New York.
Factors Involved In Accidents
Impaired driving is still a significant problem in New York, with around 45,000 arrests per year.
Our state sees approximately 300 deaths and more than 5,000 serious injuries in alcohol-impaired accidents every year. Drug-related accidents regularly result in more than 200 annual deaths.
Speed is also an issue, with more than 650,000 speeding tickets issued every year across the state. Accidents with speeding drivers result in more than 300 fatalities per year. Cell phone use and text messaging while driving are additional problems that lead to around 400 fatalities per year.
Deaths, Injuries, And Emergency Room Visits
Fatal traffic accident injuries are the fourth leading cause (14%) of injury-related deaths and the second leading cause (8%) of injury-related hospitalizations in New York. Traffic accidents are the third leading cause (9%) of annual emergency room visits. Overall, close to 140,000 people need emergency room treatment or hospitalization per year for traffic accident injuries in our state.
Recovering Compensation For New York Car Accidents
If you are one of the many people who have been injured in a New York car accident, you have likely discovered that our car accident laws are complicated. New York is one of a handful of “no-fault” car accident states, which means that in many accident cases, it does not matter who caused the accident when it comes to collecting compensation for your injuries and damages.
If you are involved in an accident as a driver, you will turn to your insurance company first for your no-fault coverage, even if someone else was responsible for causing the accident. If you are a passenger, pedestrian, or bicyclist in an accident, you will turn to the driver’s no-fault insurance coverage for your medical bills and lost wages. No-fault insurance does not, however, compensate injury victims for noneconomic damages, such as pain and suffering.
Inadequate Coverage And Serious Injuries
If your medical expenses and lost wages exceed no-fault limits, you may have a claim for underinsured motorist benefits. If your injuries are serious, you may also have a claim against the party who caused the accident. In serious bodily injury cases, pain and suffering damages are recoverable. If you or a loved one has become a part of these car accident statistics, a skilled and knowledgeable car accident attorney can help you navigate New York’s car accident laws and the financial recovery process.