Wisconsin is seeing a reduced number of traffic accidents in 2013. As of this report, only 281 traffic deaths have occurred while 333 deaths were reported this time last year. One reason for this may be a reduced number of passenger deaths. in 2012, one fatal accident, for example, resulted in the death of five people. For automobile accidents, preliminary causes of death occurring in 2013 were reported. For example, 60 deaths resulted from crashes that involved alcohol, and other deaths were caused by speeding. Furthermore, 82 people who died were not wearing seat belts while 78 were.
One other reason that may have resulted in a reduced number of deaths is the weather, which remained cold and rainy. This ultimately reduced the number of motorcyclists on the road, resulting in 43 deaths this year as opposed to 61 deaths last year. In addition, pedestrian deaths also dropped to 19 from 23 deaths at this time last year. The number of bicycle deaths remained consistent with seven deaths so far this year and six deaths at this time in 2012.
For four years before 2012, total deaths each year were under 600. However, 601 people were killed in 2012, which, according to a spokeswoman for the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety, is representative of an improving economy. The spokeswoman stated that risky driving, which usually consists of driving to and from parties and bars, declines when the economy dips, hence more people die when the economy is doing well.
When a death or serious injury occurs as a result of a motor accident, the family or injured individual may be entitled to compensation. An experienced Wisconsin attorney may be able to help their client maximize the amount of compensation that an insurance company may award for the damages, including medical expenses, funeral costs and property damage.
Source: Milwaukee Wisconsin Journal Sentinel, “Wisconsin roads less deadly this year – can we than bad weather?“, Lydia Mulvany, July 31, 2013
