Accident Statistics Index

Accidents happen frequently, but how frequently? People can learn about risk from statistics. Statistics can disguise or even distort the truth if they are used improperly.

Statistics Regarding Auto Accidents

Every day, accidents involving cars happen. Even a small accident can cause serious injuries and expensive repairs.

According to studies, a person may sustain a neck injury in an accident while a car is traveling just 5 miles per hour (mph). While accidents involving automobiles moving at 10 mph or faster can still result in injuries to people, other studies have shown that most vehicles will sustain damage.

Injuries do not immediately become common. In other words, the injury’s symptoms could appear later. An injury may still be severe even though symptoms may not appear right away. Studies have shown that symptoms can linger with a person for months or even years following an injury.

Stats on Bicycle Accidents

The number of bicycle accidents has increased as more individuals opt to go by bicycle rather than by car.

Despite the fact that bicycles do not move as quickly as other moving vehicles, accidents involving bicycles can nonetheless be more dangerous. They may have more severe consequences due to the relative lack of protection offered to cyclists.

What Could Lead to a Bike Accident?

Accidents on bicycles can result from a variety of factors. A bicycler may be struck by a car or another motorized vehicle while traveling on the road, or a pedestrian may push a cycler into oncoming traffic.

Cycling on a piece of property where a hazardous feature, like a concealed pothole on a paved bike route in a park, harms the bicycle or the rider can also result in a cycling accident.

Statistics on Cycling Mishaps

The statistics on bicycle accidents are somewhat ominous. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, the Centers for Disease Control, and the National Safety Council have provided the following statistics:

• Urban areas saw 69% of fatalities.
• Between 4 and 8 pm, when the majority of people commute from their homes to their places of employment,
• including many bikers, 30% of fatalities occurred.
• Over $4 billion is spent annually as a result of bikers’ fatalities and injuries.
• Cars colliding with bicycles are the primary cause of bicycle accidents.

Statistics on DUI Collisions

Accidents caused by drunk driving or impaired driving can cause serious injuries as well as property damage. As a criminal infraction, it may result in heavy fines and license suspension.

Statistics for DUI Accident Causes

The following statistics pertain to the causes of DUI accidents:

• 94% of the drivers involved in fatal DUI collisions had never previously been found guilty of a DUI charge.
• Annually, more than 1.4 million people are detained for DUIs.
• 112 million self-reported drunk driving incidents occur on average each year.

Statistics on the Damage Caused by Drunk Driving Accidents

Since drunk driving incidents are widely recorded, numerous statistics about the damage they inflict are easily accessible:

• Nearly one-third of all fatal traffic-related accidents involve alcohol.
• Drugs are included in 18% of fatal DUI accidents, while alcohol is the only substance in the remaining 88%.
• The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration reports that almost every 90 seconds, a person is hurt in a DUI accident.

Statistics for Warning Label Accidents

The purpose of warning labels is often to prevent predicted product misuse. However, they might be required where the product’s intended use poses a risk of injury, as in the case of warning labels on cigarette packages.

Even while warning labels are typically thought to be useful, they don’t always give a sufficient warning. As was already indicated, warning labels might not be completely visible or might not accurately communicate the danger. There is a chance that warning labels won’t even mention a specific danger. Accidents and harm that could have been prevented are likely to be linked to a product when a warning label is deemed insufficient.

Following are some broad statistics showing that consumer protection cannot be achieved just by warning labels:

• Only 50% of adults could genuinely recall the warning label that is now printed on cigarette packages. However, 83% of respondents could recall the warning label on a cigarette package with a more modern design.
• In a 2012 study, just 50% of participants had their attention directed to all five warning labels that were placed on the prescription bottles that they were shown, despite the fact that cigarette firms have explicitly refused to utilize this updated type.
• The International Center for Alcohol Policies found that only 46% of drinkers remembered the current warning labels on alcohol containers about not drinking and driving.
• In 2010, it was discovered that only one-third of the tanning beds in New York City lacked warning labels that were sufficient enough to comply with federal law regarding tanning bed warning labels.

If the threat is not clear, warnings are generally thought of as a sort of last resort to promote safety. In order to prevent warning label mishaps, the warning should include the following information:

• A warning that the product may be dangerous.
• A description of the danger(s).
• A description of what would happen if the user disregards the warning.

What Accident Statistics Relate to Dangerous Work Environments?

Once more, dangerous workplaces can include those that are by their very nature risky, like an oil rig or a construction site, but typical workplaces can also develop into unsafe workplaces.

The majority of individuals frequently consider elements like toxic exposure, hazardous equipment, and other industrial issues when talking about unsafe work settings. The phrase “unsafe work environment” can also refer to any circumstance that could raise the possibility of worker or spectator injury.

Employees may overwork themselves due to unsafe working circumstances, which is considered a workplace offense. An unsafe work environment might exist, for instance, if a worker must transport products as part of their job description but is not given the necessary equipment.

Thus, if an employer is aware of the hazardous condition or practice but does nothing to stop it, then there has been a violation. Statistics from the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) and the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) show that several dangerous work settings contribute to workplace injuries.

The United States Department of Labor’s federal Occupational Safety & Health Administration was established in 1970 to ensure employees’ safety. OSHA conducts workplace inspections to determine if workplaces conform with federal safety rules and regulations to achieve the goal of guaranteeing safe working conditions. OSHA is also in charge of making sure that the workplace is safe for workers to be in and that they are in a healthy atmosphere.

In 2013, more than half of fatalities at construction sites were related to one of the following:

• An accidental fall;
• Being hit by an object on the job site;
• Electrocution; or
• Becoming trapped between or inside work equipment.

What Statistics Relate to Falls and Slips?

Numerous groups gather information on slip and fall incidents. The Consumer Product Safety Commission (“CPSC”), the Occupational Health and Safety Administration (“OSHA”), and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention are a few examples of these agencies.

The data on various slip-and-fall incidents are listed below:

• Approximately 27% of the 900,380 nonfatal work injuries in 2018 that caused missed work days were connected to slips, trips, and falls, according to a 2020 Bureau of Labor Statistics report. The same study discovered that one of the top three reasons for work-related injuries was slips, trips, and falls;
• Falls are the main cause of trips to the emergency room (more than 20%), accounting for more than 8 million visits each year, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics. Over 1 million of those visits (or 12% of all falls) are due to slips and falls;
• According to the CPSC, one out of every three persons over the age of 65 will sustain a fall-related injury, which estimates that floors and flooring materials cause approximately 2 million fall-related injuries annually. In fact, according to 2005 data from the CDC, 15,000 persons over 65 died as a result of a fall; and
• According to a 2019 analysis by “Injury Facts,” slip and fall accidents resulted in 146 worker fatalities and 153,140 workplace injuries. According to the same study, fractures accounted for almost 19% of all injuries.

Getting Legal Aid

You must speak with a personal injury attorney if you are ever hurt due to an accident to ensure that the person or entity that caused the accident pays for your damages. Your attorney can provide you with the guidance needed to succeed on your claim.