With a projected population of more than 310 billion Americans by the end of 2010, it is a wonder that there are not more traffic fatalities on U.S highways than what was recently reported. According to the government’s Transportation Department, the number of traffic deaths in 2009 retreated by nearly 9% over 2008’s tally. The 9% decline equates to nearly 3,000 fewer casualties than the previous year’s estimated count of 37,261.
The decline pushed the tally of highway deaths to levels not seen since 1954. Some experts believe that the decease is a direct result of the country’s economic troubles. There are supporting facts for their stand. As the price of crude and gasoline continue to climb higher, travelers and vacationers alike have curtailed their unnecessary road travel.
The overall number of U.S. highway deaths has steadily decreased since 2005, when the total was estimated to be more than 43,500 fatalities. In this year’s report, highway safety officials calculated that the number of fatalities per 100 million miles driven declined to 1.15 in 2009. That figure compares with 2008’s record low of 1.25.
Along with a sluggish economy, the Federal Highway Administration (FHA) revealed that several factors contributed to the decline in traffic deaths. Those factors included an increase in seatbelt usage, which climbed to 84% in 2009, along with local law enforcement upholding traffic laws, and cracking down harder on drunk drivers.
Safety officials have also seen the number of fatal accidents go down as newer cars hit the road. The implementation of side-curtain air bags, in both the front and rear of the car, has greatly improved the odds of surviving a potential deadly crash. A majority of newer cars also possess electronic stability control, which aids the vehicle in avoiding a possible rollover.
The FHA also showed that, despite fewer deaths, motorists traveled more miles, nearly 6.6 billion miles more, than in the prior year. The increase in miles traveled was 0.2% higher than was traveled in 2007 and 2008.
As the third month of 2010 gets into full swing, many Americans remain perplexed and concerned regarding the recent troubles on the highways involving countless vehicles produced by Japan’s top automaker, Toyota Motor Corporation (TM). Since the start of the year, Toyota has been in the spotlight and the light has only gotten brighter during the past several weeks.
With more than 24 million vehicle produced since 2007, Toyota has been knee-deep in recalls, as several vehicle models have been the focal point of braking problems and incidents involving the sticking of accelerator pedals. On January 21 of this year, the Japanese automaker recalled some 2.3 million Toyotas, not include the Prius, because of a pedal issue, which could cause unintended acceleration. To date, there have been more than 8 million Toyotas recalled worldwide.
Just a few weeks later, the company announced another recall, this time for the 2010 Prius, as well as other hybrids, in which the vehicle’s brakes could momentarily fail without warning. Nevertheless, U.S. sales of Toyota’s Prius jumped more than 10% in February, despite the recalls.
Following the recalls, Congress announced that a House panel would be getting involved in the recall matter, as it plans to examine the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration’s (NHTSA) oversight of the auto industry’s safety practices. Several proponents of NHTSA’s actions have fueled a controversy, citing that the government agency has become lackadaisical in enforcing vehicle safety standards from the Japanese automaker.
The NHTSA has already linked some 52 deaths to alleged accelerator problems.
Commenting in the current controversy was David Strickland, the NHTSA’s administrator, “We will be conducting a comprehensive review of electronic throttle technologies across the industry. We also want everyone to know that our agency has the most active defect investigation program in the world.”
Strickland revealed that the agency would also begin looking at push-button start and stop technology more closely to see whether or not that technology is safe for U.S. consumers. Strickland later added that the NHTSA receives more than 30,000 consumer complaints each year. However, in February alone, the agency received more than 10,000 grievances, primarily pertaining to Toyota’s misfortunes.
The NHTSA also remarked that during the past three years, the agency’s investigations have led to more than 23.5 million vehicle recalls involving more than 520 different incidences. Of the more than 23 million recalls, two out of every five complaints involved foreign-made vehicles.
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