On January 16, an elderly man was seriously injured when he crashed his vehicle into several homes in a small housing community south of Denver. According to the Douglas County Sheriff’s Office, the collision was ultimately caused by a medical condition that prompted the 86-year-old driver to lose control of his vehicle. 

While not all elderly drivers face an increased risk of motor vehicle collisions, many suffer from pre-existing medical conditions or face a decline in motor skills and vision. These issues can create danger whenever they operate a car, especially during bad weather.

On January 6, a car crash on Interstate 25 outside Colorado Springs sent three people to the hospital with severe injuries. The accident occurred when the car flipped on the roadway and ultimately crashed into a light pole. Of the passengers injured, one was a young child. For parents in Colorado, this accident serves as a reminder of the serious injuries young children can suffer in motor vehicle collisions. 

In 2016, 730 children under 13 were fatally injured in car crashes in the United States. That number is around half of the total number of children killed in car crashes in 1975, thanks largely to improved vehicle safety measures. Listed below are a few simple steps you can take to lower their risk of severe car accident injury. 

Over the past few years, law enforcement personnel and state agencies have noticed a dangerous trend: fatal car accidents are rising throughout the United States. While initiatives to increase safe driving practices are helpful, including mandatory seatbelt use, other factors seem to be offsetting the positive effects of these initiatives. Increases in cell-phone use and other forms of distracted driving have played a role in the increase of fatal collisions, but highway traffic agencies now think another primary reason for the jump in traffic deaths is increased speed limits. 

Traffic Fatalities Rising in the United States

According to statistics compiled by the National Safety Council (NSC), there were 40,100 motor vehicle deaths throughout the United States in 2017. While this number marked a 1 percent decrease when compared to 2016, the bigger concern is the steady climb in fatalities over recent years. In 2016, the number of traffic deaths rose by more than 5 percent. While the slight decrease in 2017 is encouraging, recent trends suggest much more work is needed to increase safety nationwide. 

Every year, thousands of Americans are hurt in motor vehicle collisions. The most common car accident is when one vehicle hits another from behind. According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), approximately 28 percent of all car accidents in the United States are rear-end collisions. Studies conducted by the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) found an average of 1.7 million rear-end accidents occur each year, with a staggering 500,000 serious injuries. 

Despite the fact only 6 percent of rear-end crashes result in fatalities, these collisions can result in severe injuries with long-lasting symptoms. If you or a loved one were injured in a motor vehicle accident, contact a legal team you can believe in and seek medical attention even if injury symptoms are not immediately present. 

On December 27, 2018, two Colorado teens were fatally injured on Highway 105 when they lost control of their vehicle and collided with a semi-truck. Colorado State Patrol officers believe that the collision was caused in part by winter driving conditions. For parents throughout Colorado, the fatal car crash served as a sobering reminder of the dangers of teenage driving.

Teenage Collisions Nationwide

Throughout the United States, teenage drivers are among the most commonly injured in motor vehicle collisions. It should come as no surprise that 16 year old drivers are more likely to crash than drivers of any other age. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), in 2016, over 290,000 American teens between the ages of 16 and 19 were hospitalized due to injuries suffered in motor vehicle collisions. Of those injured, 2,433 teens suffered injuries that proved to be fatal. 

Preventing Teenage Driving Accidents 

When children reach a certain age, parents have to accept that they will begin to drive unsupervised. While many motor vehicle collisions are unavoidable, there are a few steps you can take to help educate your teen driver on how to remain safe: