Using technology to reduce accident risks

One of the most dangerous things people in South Carolina do is simply getting into their cars. The chance of being killed in a car accident is 300 times that of being killed in a commercial plane crash, according to statistics.

According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, 32,719 people were killed in motor vehicle accidents in 2013. While improving the behavior of drivers can help reduce the risks, the reductions in risk gained from technological advances have the potential to be much greater.

Since 1968, the government has been mandating safety improvements to vehicles, starting with the inclusion of safety belts in that year, although they were options at least as early as 1960. Over time, many additional safety features have become standard on new vehicles. According to the NHTSA, these safety standards saved an average of 11,575 people every year between 1960 and 2012. In 2012 alone, the NHTSA estimates safety technology saved 27,600 people. It is estimated that if all people on the road had self-driving cars, the fatality risk would be cut in half. This would equate to saving an additional 16,000 people each year. Cost value estimates place the value of saving this number of lives at $1,500 for every household in the U.S., which means the extra cost of purchasing self-driving vehicles in the future may be well worth it.

Car accidents still occur far too frequently, and are often due to negligent driving. A person who has been injured in a collision caused by a distracted, impaired or otherwise negligent driver may want to have the assistance of counsel in filing a personal injury lawsuit that would seek compensation from the at-fault motorist for the losses that have been incurred.