Rhode Island has been awarded nearly $341,000 in federal funding for traffic and vehicle safety programs. According to an Associated Press news report, the funding comes from the U.S. National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) to the Rhode Island Department of Transportation (RIDOT).
The federal grant funds can be used to improve accident prevention efforts in traffic priority areas such as impaired driving, seatbelt use, motorcycle safety and educating young drivers. RIDOT officials have said that these types of traffic safety campaigns help reduce fatalities and serious injuries on the road.
Common Causes of Car Accident Fatalities
There are a number of reasons why fatal car accidents occur in North Kingstown and Rhode Island. Understanding the causes of deadly car accidents helps reduce the risk factors that lead to these types of tragic incidents, which are often avoidable.
• Impaired driving: Driving under the influence of alcohol and/or drugs i
s illegal under Rhode Island law. According to Mothers Against Drunk Driving (MADD), DUI fatalities represented 38 percent of total traffic deaths in Rhode Island in 2012. There were 98 injuries reported as a result of alcohol-related crashes and 2,533 DUI arrests that were made during the same year. It is a simple fact that drunk driving collisions could be entirely prevented if motorists chose not to drive when impaired. Impaired driving not only involves the use of alcohol but also recreational, prescription and over-the-counter drugs.
• Lack of seatbelt use: Failure to buckle up is sadly one of the common causes of auto accident fatalities nationwide. Studies have repeatedly shown that seatbelts save lives. Seatbelts reduce serious crash-related injuries and deaths by about half. Even though airbags provide added protection, they are not a substitute for seatbelts. Studies indicate that adults aged 18 to 34 are less likely to wear seatbelts than adults aged 35 or older. Seatbelt use is also lower in states with secondary enforcement seatbelt laws or no seatbelt laws compared to states with better enforcement.
• Lack of education for younger drivers: Car crashes are the most common cause of death in the United States for teenagers. In 2011, about 2,650 teens in the U.S. aged 16 to 19 were killed and almost 292,000 were treated in emergency departments for car crash injuries, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). That means seven teens ages 16 to 19 died every day from motor vehicle injuries in the nation. Here is a powerful statistics. People aged 15 to 24 represent only 14 percent of the U.S. population and yet account for 30 percent of the total costs of motor vehicle injuries. Properly educating our young people is one of the best ways to prevent these tragic accidents.
Protecting Your Rights
We hope that the federal funding that has become available to RIDOT zeroes in on these major areas and helps bring down the rate of traffic accident fatalities and serious injuries in Rhode Island. If you or a loved one has been injured in a car accident caused by a negligent driver, please contact an experienced North Kingstown car accident lawyer who will help protect your rights and ensure that you are fairly and fully compensated for your losses.
