Arizona Car Accident Injuries by the Numbers
Originally published August 8, 2016.
Did you know that there were 127,056 vehicle accidents in Arizona in 2018? Thankfully, only 0.72% were fatal – 912 of the total. Over 100,000 of these collisions took place on urban roads, and over 36,000 people were injured in one year alone. The most common type of crash? Rear-end collisions, by far.
The Arizona Department of Transportation (AZDOT) tracks car accidents, injuries, and deaths on the state’s roads each year in order to spot safety issues and plan ways to reduce these events.
We’re sad to say the majority of the fatal and injury crashes in 2018 involved speeding. After that, the age of the driver, distractions, and alcohol contributed the most. We at The Husband and Wife Law Team, as top Phoenix personal injury lawyers, continue to spread the word about the dangers of impaired driving – especially for younger drivers. That’s why we launched our #ArriveAlive scholarship for high school students, and it’s why we continue to share this information through community outreach.
Are injury/fatal crashes actually decreasing in the last few years? It doesn’t look like it. Let’s examine some crash trends in the past and see what things used to be like only a few years ago…
A Look Back to 2015
Car accidents happen every day in Arizona, in every city, and more than you would ever think. In fact, Arizona’s car accident fatality rate of 1.24 in 2015 was above that of the national fatality rate, which sat at 1.07 in 2014. And when you look at the 2015 Arizona car accident statistics below, you can see just how many people are affected by these accidents every day:
- About 2.45 people were killed each day in Arizona in 2015. One person was killed approximately every 9 hours.
- Approximately 146 people were injured every day due to Arizona car accidents. About every 10 minutes, someone was injured.
- Alcohol played a factor in 4.24% of all car accidents, and it was a factor of 32.8% of crashes ending in fatality.
- Urban areas of Arizona, such as Phoenix, saw a greater instance of alcohol-related crashes than rural areas. While 77.9% of crashes involving alcohol happened in urban areas, that number dropped drastically to 22.1% in rural areas. When it came to fatalities from alcohol-related crashed, urban areas saw a slightly higher percentage at 56.39% over the 43.61% seen in rural areas.
- 11.44% of accidents involving pedestrians were fatal for the pedestrian, and 1.95% of accidents involving cyclists were fatal for the cyclist.
- Somewhat surprisingly, most crashes (72.5%) of all Arizona car accidents happened during the daytime hours, from 6:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m.
Looking Back Further to 2014!
Arizona drivers are no strangers to car accidents. These serious crashes concern many experienced Arizona car accident lawyers, who see the devastating effects they can have on drivers, passengers, pedestrians, and their families.
Here are some of the top statistics from the 2014 Arizona Crash Facts Summary:
- A total of 109,554 car accidents were recorded in Arizona in 2014.
- About 80 percent, or a total of 89,352 accidents, happened in urban areas.
- 708 accidents claimed at least one life and 34,451 left at least one person injured.
- In all, these crashes took 774 individual lives and caused 50,890 injuries. A significant number of injury-causing accidents cause harm to more than one person when they happen.
Drunk driving accidents were the leading cause of car accident deaths. Just over 33%, or 238 of 708 total fatal crashes, involved a drunk driver. Speed-related crashes weren’t far behind, with 239 people losing their lives in an accident caused by speeding.
Most fatal accidents in 2014 occurred during evening rush hour, from 5:00 p.m. to 6:00 p.m. Alcohol-related crash numbers were different: these deadly accidents were more likely to take place between 2:00 a.m. to 3:00 a.m.
What You Should Do After a Crash Today
A person can suffer a number of injuries from an Arizona car accident, and often those injuries can result in loss of income due to an inability to work, high medical bills, and emotional and physical trauma and stress. The insurance claims process for car accidents can also be long and drawn-out, not to mention complicated.
At Breyer Law Offices, P.C., we want to make this difficult time as easy as possible for you. While you focus on getting back to your old self, we want to focus on your case, making sure negligent parties are held responsible and that you receive the compensation you deserve. Want our help? Contact us today at (602) 457-6222. We’re here waiting to help!
Additional Information:
Want more crash stats? Visit ADOT!
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Confidentially reviewed by Attorney Mark Breyer