The State of Illinois is home to one of the most well-respected non-profit safety organizations in the world with the National Safety Council being based in Itasca. As the NSC explains: “… [t]he National Safety Council is America’s leading nonprofit safety advocate – and has been for over 100 years. As a mission-based organization, we focus on eliminating the leading causes of preventable death so people can live their fullest lives. We focus our efforts where we can make the greatest impact: workplace, roadway and impairment.”
NSC and NHTSA Studies of Motor Vehicle Accident Deaths and Traffic Fatalities
The NSC operates independently of the federal government as well as state or local officials, developing its own reports and warnings based upon its own analysis of safety issues and risks. Regarding the study of fatal motor vehicle accidents in this country, from motorcycle fatalities to semi-truck crashes, the NSC and the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) both compile and publish periodic studies on the dangers facing motorists in Illinois, Indiana, and the rest of the nation.
However, as the NSC points out, these two organizations do this job in different ways. Their criteria for analysis are not the same. In fatal motor vehicle accidents, the NSC considers deaths involving both traffic and nontraffic incidents within one year of the date of the crash itself. In doing so, it aligns its approach with that of the death certificate data prepared by the National Center for Health Statistics (NCHS). Contrast this approach with that of the NHTSA, where only traffic deaths within 30 days of the accident are considered, in alignment with its own Fatality Analysis Reporting System (FARS).
Why the difference? The NSC explains that its approach is because: (1) the FARS count does not include the 800 – 1,000 fatalities where the victim passes away from accident injuries more than 30 days after the crash; and (2) 900-1900 yearly nontraffic fatalities (accidents that happen on parking lots, private roads, or driveways), are not included in FARS as well.
- For more on deadly nontraffic motor vehicle accidents, read our recent discussion in Danger of Serious or Fatal Rollaway Accidents in Indiana and Illinois.
The NSC study, accordingly, is considered to be more thorough and more accurate regarding the dangers of dying in a motor vehicle accident than the NHTSA research analysis.
Dire Warning from NSC Regarding Escalating Danger of Motor Vehicle Fatalities in 2021
The NSC has recently issued its latest research study regarding motor vehicle fatalities in the United States, releasing its preliminary death estimates for the first six months of 2021. NSC estimates of motor vehicle fatalities for the first six months (January – June) as: 21,450 deaths in 2021; 18,480 in 2020; and 18,384 in 2019.
According to the NSC researchers, the risk of dying in a fatal traffic accident jumped 16% when comparing the first six months of 2021 to January – June 2020. The first half of 2021 also saw traffic fatalities that were 17% higher than those of January – June 2019.
The turnabout in the numbers cannot be emphasized strongly enough. This reality “…negates more than 15 years of progress in preventing death on U.S. roads,” according to the NSC.
From NSC President and CEO Lorraine Martin:
“These figures are not only alarming but devastating as we see once again too many lives lost on the roads. It is up to each and every one of us to do everything we can to be safe and keep each other safe. NSC implores every person to take safe driving practices seriously; they could be the difference between someone living or dying.”
NSC: The Deadliest Type of Crash
According to their Preliminary Findings, some types of motor vehicle accidents are happening much more often than others and causing the death of either drivers, occupants, or passengers in other vehicles involved in the collision. Motor vehicle accident-related deaths:
- Occurred most often when two motor vehicles collide, but this type of crash is less than half of the total fatal motor vehicle accidents in their study;
- The second most deadly type of motor vehicle accident involved a motor vehicle colliding with a fixed object; and
- The third most dangerous type of motor vehicle accident happened with pedestrian crashes and “non-collisions” (rollovers, etc.).
Illinois and Indiana in NSC Fatal Motor Vehicle Accident Report
The risk of a dying in a motor vehicle accident in our part of the country is shockingly high as reported by the National Safety Council. In the NSC’s Preliminary Monthly State Motor Vehicle Fatality Estimates 2019-2021:
- Indiana saw a 57.4% increase in motor vehicle deaths during this time period (2019-2021); and
- Illinois had a 48.6% escalation in the same two-year time span.
Fatal Motor Vehicle Accident Victims May Have Claims for Justice Under Laws of Illinois and Indiana
The September 2021 release of these new fatality statistics by the National Safety Council is very disturbing, especially to those who advocate for victims of serious and fatal motor vehicle accidents that can involve pedestrians, bicyclists, sedans, SUVs, minivans, pickups, buses, motor coaches, or semi-trucks (big rigs, tractor trailers, 18-wheelers). Any assumptions that our roads would be safer due to the Pandemic have been proven wrong.
The types of bodily injuries sustained in a motor vehicle accident can be horrific and involve extensive pain and suffering for the accident victim. Death may occur at the accident site, or months later due to the insurmountable bodily injuries sustained in the crash. Families are victims, too, with loved ones who are forever changed by these deadly crashes.
Even more tragic is the reality that motor vehicle crashes are almost always preventable accidents where the victim’s death could have been avoided if more care and safety had been taken prior to the incident.
For more on motor vehicle accidents, read:
- Indiana and Illinois: Deadliest Driving Conditions for Fatal Motor Vehicle Accidents
- Rising Danger of Pedestrian Accident Deaths: Hit by Motor Vehicle While Walking
- The Danger of Dying from a Traffic Crash in Indiana or Illinois: Is NHTSA Effectively Protecting Against Fatal Motor Vehicle Accidents?
- Fatal Motor Vehicle Accidents on the Job: Four Types of Workers Facing Highest Risk of Deadly Work Crash
- Lyft or Uber Driver Car Crash: Liability in Rideshare Driver Accidents
- Roadway Departure Accidents Cause Over Half of All Fatal Car Crashes.
For these accident victims and their families, the state laws of Indiana and Illinois provide avenues for justice not only for the deceased victim but for family members under Wrongful Death laws, Workers’ Compensation statutes, and the jurisprudence involving negligence, product liability, and personal injury. See:
- Fatal Accidents and Wrongful Death Lawsuits in Indiana and Illinois
- Workers Compensation in Indiana and Illinois: Work-Related Injuries and the Fight Against Corporate Greed
- Uber or Lyft Crashes: Liability in Ridesharing Accidents
- Trucking Companies Liable for Semi-Truck Crashes in Indiana and Illinois.
The new NSC Study warns everyone in Indiana and Illinois to be alert and aware of the high risk of a serious or fatal crash on our roadways here in the Crossroads of America. Please be careful out there!
