What behaviors cause the most North Carolina fatal car accidents?

Automobile accidents happen every day. Unfortunately, too many of them end in fatalities. As you drive by these crashes, you may wonder what circumstances led to this tragedy. Was it a simple driver error? Or was careless or reckless behavior involved?

The Auto Insurance Center, a car insurance information site, wondered about the cause of deadly crashes as well. Using crash data from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) from 2009 to 2013, they set out to determine the common causes of fatal accidents in each state.

To determine fatality rates, and an accurate comparison, the Auto Insurance Center determined the per-capita metric for each state. They did this by dividing the total number of fatal accidents for each of the causes by state by each state’s population.

North Carolina is one of six states where the most fatal crashes are caused by reckless or careless driving. In the majority of states, failure to stay in the proper lane caused the most accidents. North Carolina’s fatality rates were in the middle range for drunk driving, and in the high range for speeding.

“Scary as it sounds, the factors to blame for the worst outcomes on the road are pretty common,” the Auto Insurance Center study concluded. “While they don’t always end in a fatal crash, it’s important to remember that they very well could.”

If your loved one was killed in an automobile accident, it is important to remember you have legal rights. Contact an experienced personal injury attorney to hold negligent parties accountable for your loss.