Safer Cars Result In Much Lower Injury Claims In Louisiana

Vehicle Characteristics and Auto Injury Claims is the title of a report on a new study by the Insurance Research Council (IRC) that looked at the types of passenger protection systems present in insured vehicles, and put them in relation to the extent of the injuries sustained in accidents. For motorists concerned about their own safety and that of their loved ones, the conclusions of the study show how effective recent restraint systems are in limiting the injuries sustained in car crashes, in Louisiana and in other states.
 

Safer vehicles

The sample study of 14,000 auto injury claims first found how rapidly the transition to new safety systems took place. In 1990 model cars, 80 percent had safety belts but no airbags, and only 20 percent had airbags. From the 1998 model year on, all passenger vehicles were equipped with front airbags, while 11 percent had both front and side airbags. In 2007 models, 82 percent had front and side airbags.
 

Lower injury claims

Researchers compared the size of injury claims with the presence of front and/or side airbags in vehicles. The analysis demonstrated that drivers and passengers were less likely to sustain serious injuries, to receive hospital treatment, to become disabled or to be killed in vehicles fitted with front and side airbags.
 
The improved safety of car occupants resulted in a significant drop in auto injury claims. The average Personal Injury Protection (PIP) claim for vehicles with seatbelts but without airbags was $6,994. For vehicles with front airbags, it was $5,308, or 24 percent less, and for vehicles equipped with front and side airbags, $4,457, or 36 percent less.
 
According to Elizabeth Sprinkel, Senior Vice-President of the IRC, “These favorable trends have helped offset some of the pressure caused by the accelerating cost of medical treatment for auto injuries.”
 
If you have been hurt in a car, truck or motorcycle accident caused by someone else, contact the New Orleans accident attorneys of the Young Firm for a FREE discussion of your case. Order now our FREE lawyer book, A Guide To Steering Through a Serious Vehicle Accident in Louisiana.