Safer Cars Not Safe Enough

While today’s cars are built to be safer than ever, traffic fatalities are nevertheless rising after decades of decreases. Nearly 19,000 lives were lost in traffic accidents over the first six months of 2015, according to the National Safety Council, which represents a 14 percent boost over the same period in 2014. The NSC warns that this year could wind up as the deadliest for motorists and passengers since 2007. Perhaps ironically, this can be attributed to a healthier economy; lower unemployment levels and cheaper gas prices are putting more vehicles on the road, and they’re being driven for longer distances. More trucks on the highways mean a greater frequency of commercial vehicle crashes, which generally have more severe consequences than those involving only passenger cars. For those keeping score, the NSC says the most traffic-related fatalities over the first six months of the year were registered in Texas (1,643), California (1,566) and Florida (1,441).