Car Accident Statistics
Legal Statistics
A car accident happens when one vehicle collides with another, with a person, an animal, road debris, or another stationary object, such as a tree, pole, or a structure. Car accidents frequently result in injury, disability, death, and property damage, as well as societal and individual financial expenses.
Car accidents can result in property loss, bodily harm, or death. Over 36,000 individuals died in automobile accidents in 2018, according to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA). Despite a 2.4 percent drop from the previous year, distracted driving, intoxicated driving, and vehicle faults cause thousands of accidents in the United States every day.
Everything You Need to Know About Vehicle Accidents in the United States Is Right Here.
Car accidents are a primary source of serious injury and death in the United States and much of the globe. In reality, at least 38,800 individuals were killed in car accidents in the United States alone in 2019. (down to 2 percent from 39,404 in 2018). Despite the events of 2020 and the reaction to the Coronavirus pandemic, preliminary data show that motor vehicle deaths in the United States rose in 2020 over 2019. Clearly, automotive and motor vehicle safety is a key priority for everyone.
Uninsured Motorists Facts and Statistics
Knowing fully well that automobile insurance is a vital necessity in 49 states of the federation, most motorists prefer to drive around without it. According to the Insurance Research Council (IRC), there is an increase in the number of uninsured motorists by state, spanning from 25.5 percent in Michigan to 16.6% of all motorists in California. Based on the most recent available data by IRC, approximately 12.6% of motorists in the United States do not have insurance in the year 2019, even though insurance is a basic requirement for automobile registration in practically all states.
While the number of uninsured drivers has been increasing in some states, others have maintained an appreciable low percentage. Interestingly, New Jersey had the lowest at 3.1%, followed by Massachusetts at 3.5%.
Do you care to know the current statistics of uninsured motorists in the United States? If yes, fret no more. In this comprehensive article, we will uncover the uninsured motorist’s statistics, facts, and why it is beneficial to get insured to avoid penalties ranging from license revocation, fines, and vehicle impoundment, to a likely jail sentence.
What Is Uninsured Motorist Coverage?
If a motorist without insurance hits a pedestrian, uninsured motorist coverage compensates for your medical bills and related or direct costs. It sets in when the party involved is liable for your bodily injury or vehicle damage but doesn’t have the financial means to offset the bill.
Why Should You Consider an Uninsured Motorist Coverage?
Someone who drives may require it. You can never know whether or not the driver who hits you has enough insurance to cover your vehicle damage and physical injuries caused to you. For safety reasons, we recommend purchasing uninsured motorist coverage once you can pay for it. The protection (coverage) cost is typically less expensive than other insurance types, which can help you avoid getting into a financial bind.
But have you asked yourself, what are the chances of being involved in a car accident caused by an uninsured driver? It’s much more probable than you might believe. As shown in a 2021 report by IRC, 12.6% of motorists, or one in every eight drivers, were not insured in 2019. In 2017, the percentage reached a surprising nine-year high of 13.1%, but in 2019 and 2018, the value dropped to 12.6 percent.
After causing a collision with another car, don’t assume that all uninsured motorists will stop and apologize. Based on one AAA study, most hit-and-runs cases accounted for 11.7 percent of all accidents in 2015, and hit-and-run-related deaths have increased by an estimated value of 7.2 percent per year since 2009.
What Are the Consequences for Motorists Without Insurance?
Every federal law requires car owners to have liability insurance to use their motorways, and every neighboring state penalizes those who do not. Usually, the regulations differ from state to state, although they are generally quite stringent. The following are some of the most familiar disciplinary actions taken by states against uninsured drivers:
- Suspend their driver’s license
- Withdraw their car registration
- Issue them a ticket and other fines
- Necessitate them to purchase SR 22 insurance.
Note: Motorists will face these penalties and more if apprehended driving without auto insurance in Illinois. Remember, driving without liability insurance can cost thousands of dollars and prevent you from using Illinois roads.
Where Is Underinsured/Uninsured Motorist Coverage Mandatory?
There are mainly 20 states in the United States that necessitate Uninsured Motorist protection. The bodily injury type/form of the insurance is highly mandatory in these states. While some states don’t offer such coverage, other states require it. The list below comprises states that mandate UIM coverage;
State | UMBI requirements $ |
---|---|
Maryland | 30,000/60,000 |
Massachusetts | 20,000/40,000 |
Minnesota | 25,000/50,000 |
Missouri | 25,000/50,000 |
Kansas | 25,000/50,000 |
Kentucky | 20,000/10,000 |
Maine | 50,000/100,000 |
Connecticut | 25,000/50,000 |
D.C. | 25,000/50,000 |
Illinois | 25,000/50,000 |
Nebraska | 25,000/50,000 |
New Hampshire | 25,000/50,000 |
Virginia | 25,000/50,000 |
West Virginia | 25,000/50,000 |
Wisconsin | 25,000/50,000 |
Vermont | 25,000/50,000 |
North Dakota | 25,000/50,000 |
Oregon | 25,000/50,000 |
South Carolina | 25,000/50,000 |
New York | 25,000/50,000 |
North Carolina | 30,000/60,000 |
Source: nerdwallet
Note: UMBI stands for Uninsured/Underinsured Motorist Bodily Injury.
To understand the limit ranges in the UMBI requirements above, take a look at the example below;
For instance, Johnson opted for a UMBI coverage limit of 25,000/50,000 in North Dakota. It means that the Insurance firm pays up to $25,000 per injured person and a maximum of $50,000 for all associated injuries in the accident.
What Is The Best Protection Against Uninsured Drivers?
Uninsured motorist protection (coverage) and collision insurance are the best ways to protect yourself from an uninsured driver. If a person is involved in an accident caused by a reckless, at-fault, non-insured driver, uninsured motorist coverage will protect you. Depending on the policy limits you choose, the insurance will cover all the associated costs of your injuries.
What Is The Average Number of Uninsured Motorists In The United States?
There are appropriately 215 million motorists in the United States, and an appreciable number of these populations are not insured.
The estimations below give the (%) data on the number of Uninsured Motorists in each of the states, according to the Insurance Research Council.
Rank. | State | % of Uninsured Motorists |
---|---|---|
1 | Mississippi | 29.4% |
2 | Michigan | 25.5 |
3 | Tennessee | 23.7 |
4 | New Mexico | 21.8 |
5 | Washington | 21.7 |
6 | Florida | 20.4 |
7 | Alabama | 19.5 |
8 | Arkansas | 19.3 |
9 | D.C. | 19.19 |
10 | California | 16.6 |
11 | Rhode Island | 16.5 |
12 | Missouri | 16.4 |
13 | Colorado | 16.3 |
14 | Alaska | 16.1 |
15 | Indiana | 15.8 |
16 | Maryland | 14.1 |
17 | Kentucky | 13.9 |
18 | Oklahoma | 13.4 |
19 | Wisconsin | 13.3 |
20 | Idaho | 13.2 |
21 | North Dakota | 13.0 |
22 | Ohio | 13.0 |
23 | Georgia | 12.4 |
24 | Arizona | 11.8 |
25 | Illinois | 11.8 |
26 | Louisiana | 11.7 |
27 | Iowa | 11.3 |
28 | Kansas | 10.9 |
29 | South Carolina | 10.9 |
30 | Oregon | 10.7 |
31 | Virginia | 10.5 |
32 | Nevada | 10.4 |
33 | Minnesota | 9.9 |
34 | Hawaii | 9.3 |
35 | Nebraska | 9.3 |
36 | West Virginia | 9.2 |
37 | Vermont | 8.8 |
38 | Montana | 8.5 |
39 | Delaware | 8.5 |
40 | Texas | 8.3 |
41 | South Dakota | 7.4 |
42 | North Carolina | 7.4 |
43 | Utah | 6.5 |
44 | Connecticut | 6.3 |
45 | New Hampshire | 6.1 |
46 | Pennsylvania | 6.0 |
47 | Wyoming | 5.8 |
48 | Maine | 4.9 |
49 | New York | 4.1 |
50 | Massachusetts | 3.5 |
51 | New Jersey | 3.1 |
Note: According to the Insurance Research Council, the proportion/percentage of uninsured car owners was computed by dividing the frequency of uninsured motorist (UM) assertions by the frequency of bodily injury (BI) claims.
Statistics / Facts About The Uninsured Motorists
- Uninsured motorist insurance (coverage) is not compulsory in 20 states
- Missouri law requires drivers to carry an average of $25,000 in uninsured motorist coverage for every person and approximately $50,000 per mishap.
- One reason for the high number of uninsured motorists is the recent economic meltdown.
- According to the American Association of Motor Vehicle Administrators, 81.9 percent of uninsured motorists cannot afford auto insurance or own a vehicle that is unused or unserviceable.
- A total of 1 in 8 motorists are uninsured
- The median (average) cost of property damage from automobile accidents is $7,500.
- The approximate cost of severe fatalities from auto accidents is $1,130,000.
- The estimated cost of non-fatal damages (injuries) from an automobile accident is $61,600.
What Percentage of Minorities Are Uninsured Motorists?
According to the Insurance Research Council (IRC), out of the 209 million legally licensed drivers within the United States, a proportion of the uninsured motorist within this population fall into one of the categories below;
- 22 percent falls between the ages of 18 – 24
- 35 percent are African American or Hispanic
- 45 percent of them are high school age
- 32 percent earn less than $20,000 per annum
- 62 percent are mostly men
Source: hvlaw firm
FAQs on Uninsured Motorists Statistics
Do I Need Uninsured Motorists Coverage If I Have Health Insurance?
Since health insurance primarily covers medical treatment, individuals should strive to get Uninsured Motorists coverage. After all, an injured person deserves more than basic medical treatment in cases involving a serious car accident.
How Much Is Spent On Uninsured Motorists coverage?
Uninsured motorist coverage typically costs around $50-$75 per annum for property damage and bodily injury.
Note: If you reside in any no-fault state within the country like Michigan or Florida, where personal injury protection (PIP) is compulsory, then you should not consider carrying an Uninsured Motorists Insurance (UIM). PIP offsets for all related injuries, regardless of whether the at-fault driver is insured.
What Happens If an Uninsured Driver hits me?
You could lose some no-claims incentives if an uninsured driver knocks you down. That’s because when there is no insurance policy for the absconded driver, your insurance firm would be responsible for paying the claim.
How does the Insurance Research Council Estimate the Number of Uninsured Motorists?
IRC estimates the number of uninsured drivers by calculating the number of insurance claims filed by injured persons that uninsured motorists hit to the number of overall lawsuits filed by individuals injured by the total number of insured drivers.
Wrapping Up
Can you afford to pay for expensive damage caused by another driver? With the detailed Uninsured Motorist Statistics and Facts covered, we believe this write-up addresses some of your initial worries. Ensure to remain a good citizen by paying for your Uninsured Motorist Coverage if you don’t have it, as it becomes beneficial when unforeseen mishaps occur.
Figures from the Bureau of Labor Statistics for Lawyers
Average annual salary
Lawyers now make close to $140,000 per year on average, which is $10,000 higher than in 2011; this equates to around $11,656 per month
Global Car Accident Statistics: How many people are killed in vehicle accidents per year?
- Every year, around 1.3 million people are killed in vehicle accidents throughout the world – an average of 3,287 deaths each day.
- Young adults between the ages of 15 and 44 account for more than half of all traffic fatalities.
- Car accidents are the greatest cause of mortality among young adults aged 15 to 29 in the world, and the ninth largest cause of death overall.
U.S. Fatal Car Accident Statistics: How many people are killed in vehicle accidents in the United States each year?
In 2019, 38,800 persons were killed in vehicle accidents in the United States, a 2% decrease from the previous year (39,404 deaths). In 2017, 40,327 persons were killed in car accidents in the United States.
- In 2016, there were 34,439 fatal vehicle accidents recorded by police, a 5.8 percent increase over 2015.
- These tragic collisions claimed the lives of 37,461 people, including 25,096 car occupants, 5,286 motorcyclists, and 7,079 non-occupants.
- Only one vehicle was involved in 58 percent of fatal car accidents reported by police. The worst 3-hour period in 2016 was midnight to 3 a.m. on Saturdays, with 1,015 fatal collisions — closely followed by 6 p.m. to 9 p.m. on the same day, with 1,001 fatalities.
- A collision with another vehicle was the cause of 38% of all fatal car accidents. The most common type of collision happened at an angle.
- A collision with a fixed object (such as trees or street signs) or a non-collision caused 40% of all fatal automobile accidents (such as rollovers).
- In 2016, the most deadly vehicle accidents occurred between the summer months of June through September, with the month of October recording the highest number of fatalities (3,249).
- The day with the most deadly vehicle accidents was Saturday, with 6,104 incidents.
- Nighttime circumstances were responsible for 48 percent of all fatal accidents. 41 percent of these incidents happened in dimly lit areas.
Car Accident Vehicle Statistics
- In 2018, passenger automobiles or light trucks accounted for 95 percent of all vehicles involved in fatal car accidents (vans, SUVs, or pickup trucks).
- Large trucks accounted for 8% of all vehicles involved in fatal accidents. Semi-trucks, commonly known as combination trucks, accounted for 71% of them.
- At 25.6 percent, light vehicles and trucks had the highest rollover rate in fatal car accidents.
- In 2016, rollovers accounted for 17.9 percent of all fatal automobile accidents.
Car Accident Statistics and Occupants
- Drivers accounted for half of all fatalities in automobile accidents. 17% were passengers, 16% were pedestrians, and 14% were motorcycle riders.
- People between the ages of 21 and 24 had the greatest death rate per 100,000 population.
- In practically every age category, excluding children under the age of five, females had a lower mortality rate per 100,000 populations than males.
Car Accidents and Teen Drivers: What age group is most likely to be involved in an automobile accident?
- The probability of a car accident is greater among 16-19-year-olds than in any other age group. Teens aged 16 to 19 were responsible for 2,333 fatalities and 233,845 injuries in vehicle accidents in the United States in 2015.
- Teens aged 15 to 19 accounted for 11% of overall vehicle accident expenses in 2013, although constituting just 7% of the US population.
- Male occupants aged 16 to 19 were twice as likely as female occupants to be killed in an automobile collision in 2016.
- The danger of a fatal vehicle accident is substantially higher among newer adolescent drivers: the fatal crash rate per mile driven for 16-27-year-olds is about double that of 18-29-year-olds.
Car Accidents and Elderly Drivers
- Individuals 65 and over accounted for 6,165 fatalities and nearly 240,000 injuries as a result of a motor vehicle collision in 2015, accounting for 18% of all traffic fatalities and 10% of all people wounded in that year.
- Motorcyclist deaths among senior drivers climbed by 142% between 2006 and 2015 with men seeing a 144% rise and females experiencing a 100% increase.
- Bicycle deaths among older adults climbed by 10% overall between 2006 and 2015, with men increasing by 8% and ladies increasing by 38%.
Car Accidents and Distracted Driving
- According to the most recent distracted driving data, 3,166 individuals were murdered in 2017 as a result of distracted driving.
- Every day, over 481,000 drivers use their phones while driving.
- Every day, over 9 people are killed and over 1,000 are wounded in collisions caused by a distracted motorist.
- In 2015, 391,000 persons were killed or wounded as a result of distracted driving.
Car Accidents and Drowsy Driving
- In 2015, 824 individuals were killed in vehicle accidents caused by sleepy driving.
- There were roughly 83,000 accidents caused by sleepy driving between 2005 and 2009.
- Drowsy driving affects 48% of drivers between 9 p.m. and 6 a.m.
- According to the Massachusetts Special Commission on Sleepy Driving, there might be up to 1.2 million collisions, 8,000 fatalities, and 500,000 injuries attributable to drowsy driving each year.
Car Accidents and Speeding
- In 2016, speeding was responsible for 10,111 fatalities, accounting for more than 27% of all road fatalities that year.
- At the time of the automobile collision, 50% of fast drivers in fatal incidents were not wearing a seat belt.
- Alcohol was a factor in 37% of all speeding drivers involved in fatal automobile accidents.
Car Accidents and DUI
- In 2016, there were 10,497 fatalities caused by alcohol-impaired or intoxicated driving.
- In 2016, 1,233 children aged 14 and younger were killed in drunken-driving
- Driving with a blood alcohol content (BAC) of.08 or above is banned in all states.
- There was a 48 percent rise in weekend nighttime drivers testing positive for THC, the psychoactive element contained in marijuana, between 2007 and 2014.
Car Accidents and Weather
- Inclement weather is responsible for an estimated 22% of accidents.
- Weather-related automobile accidents are responsible for almost 6,000 deaths and 445,000 injuries.
- Wet weather is the major cause of all weather-related collisions, accounting for 73% on wet pavement and 46% while it is raining.
- Over 200,000 collisions are caused by sleet and snow, whereas 150,000 are caused by slick pavement.
Causes of Car Accidents
- Accidents involving driving under the influence or drunk driving accounted for 28% of deaths in 2016.
- Approximately 29 percent of pedestrians killed in automobile accidents in 2016 died as a result of failing to cede right of way.
Car Accident Safety Equipment Statistics
- Seat belt usage in the United States was 89.7 percent in 2017, a 0.4 percent decline from 2016.
- The West has a greater rate of passenger seat belt use than other areas such as the Northeast, Midwest, and South.
- Seat belt use grew dramatically in the Midwest from 2016 to 2017 – from 85.5 percent to 88.6 percent.
- The usage of lap/shoulder seat belts decreases the risk of serious injury to front-seat passenger car occupants by 50% and the chance of death by 45%.
The Economic Impact of Car Accidents
- In the United States, the yearly economic cost of vehicle accidents is estimated to be $242 billion.
- Between 2007 and 2012, the average claimed economic losses (such as medical expenditures and lost earnings) grew by 8% for personal injury claimants and 4% for physical injury claimants.
- The average automotive liability claim for property damage in 2013 was $3,231. The average bodily injury liability claim was $15,443.
- The average crash claim in 2013 was $3,144. The average total claim was $1,621.
Final Words: Regardless of the collision statistics, it is critical to observe the laws of the road and drive cautiously constantly. It is also critical to do a comprehensive examination of which automobiles have high safety ratings. Remember that automobile size and weight are major factors in the rear, front, and side-impact incidents. Also, keep in mind that automobiles and trucks frequently alter safety regulations and new technology, so seek the most recent updates from reputable consumer advocacy organizations on the safest vehicles on the road.