Car crash deaths are up in Utah
The risk of a collision is the dark underside of the convenience of individual transportation. The average person is aware that crashes occur but likely believes that their own skill will protect them from a major collision.
An individual’s skill, patience, and safety practices aren’t enough to eliminate crash risk. There will always be drunk drivers, distracted drivers, and other irresponsible people causing crashes even when most adults attempt to carefully follow traffic safety rules.
Crash rates are on the rise
In recent years, the roads in Utah and across the United States have become less safe. Overall, traffic deaths have increased in recent years. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) reports that there were 42,915 traffic fatalities in 2021, which was a 10.5% increase from the number of deaths in 2020 and the highest total number of traffic deaths since 2005.
Utah drivers may have an exceptionally high risk for severe collisions. Every state has its own safety concerns when it comes to traffic. Utah is ranked as having the worst drivers in the United States. Particularly, Utah is also ranked first in speeding, second in citations, fifth in accidents, and eighth in DUIs.
One of the most noteworthy traffic safety concerns is the high number of vehicle crashes that occur each year. Utah is one of the deadliest states the Utah Highway Safety Office reported that in 2022 there were a total of 58,991 car crashes, 17,606 injuries, and 296 car crash-related fatalities in the state of Utah.
Unfortunately, collisions involving commercial vehicles, such as large trucks, tend to be very dangerous and deadly. The people affected often do not walk away unscathed. Many times, they have permanent injuries that will require drastic changes to their households. Other times, their injuries will prove fatal, leaving their family members to pursue compensation after the crash.
What happens after a fatal collision?
Those trying to make sense of the aftermath of a deadly wreck often need to evaluate the police report. Such documents can help them validate who was theoretically to blame for the crash. From there, they can look into the insurance carried by the at-fault party.
Standard car insurance is often insufficient to fully cover the cost of a fatal wreck. In accidents involving trucks and other commercial vehicles, a larger policy may apply. Even then, a six-figure policy may not fully replace a lifetime of lost wages when someone dies in a preventable collision. Grieving family members often have to look into lawsuits in addition to insurance claims to fully recover their expenses and hold the other party accountable. Seeking legal guidance can also help those who have already lost loved ones to tragic crashes.
