Not surprisingly, California has a relatively high number of traffic-related fatalities when compared with its sister states. The reason this is not surprising is that California has the largest population among all the states in the union. With that large population comes a lot of motor vehicles on the road, and with that, a higher possibility of car accidents with either a fatality or with catastrophic injuries.
According to the most recent statistics available through the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, or NHTSA, the state had 3,602 traffic-related deaths in 2017. Since statistics were first kept in 1975, the number of deaths has decreased by 12%. Unfortunately, the number has been creeping up over the last decade, as the low-point in traffic fatalities was back in 2010.
When it comes to the overall fatality rate per million miles driven by the motorists of this state, California fares a bit better. It has a fatality rate of 1.05, which is below both the national fatality rate and that of many other populous states in the country. Overall, the fatality rate has decreased by 66% since 1975, which is a substantial improvement. However, the lowest fatality rate was again in 2010, so the number is going back up.
While there is some good news for Californians when it comes to deadly car accidents, there is also room for improvement. Any number of bad driving habits, including distracted driving, speeding, drunk driving and fatigued driving, can cause a fatal accident. Should a family lose a loved one due to negligence of another driver, they may be able to get compensation for their loss.
