First six months of 2016 deadly

Traffic accidents take the lives of South Carolina residents each year, and 2016 is showing itself to be a particularly deadly year. According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, almost 18,000 people died in motor vehicle accidents across the country from January to June of 2016, which was an increase of approximately 10 percent over the same six-month period in 2015.

If the rate continues, 2016 will have the highest single-year fatality increase since the 1960s. In response to the data, the U.S. Department of Transportation has announced an initiative through which it and a number of other agencies will work to reduce the fatality rate to zero within the next 30 years.

Sweden passed a similar initiative in 1997 and was able to reduce the fatality rate from 7 out of 100,000 people to less than 3 out of 100,000 people in 15 years. Over the next three years, the federal government said it will give out $3 million in grants to organizations that are working to reduce the fatality rate to zero. It has called for others to contribute additional funding for grants. Driverless cars may help with reaching the goal since 94 percent of accidents are caused by human errors.

Car accidents claim the lives of many people every year. People who are killed in accidents often leave family members behind, and the survivors often have to deal with financial challenges in addition to the grief caused by the sudden loss of a loved on. When an accident was caused by the negligence of another driver, the family members may want to meet with an attorney to discuss the filing of a wrongful death lawsuit against the at-fault party.