Unsettling U.S. and Louisiana road accident statistics.

Even though the attorneys of the Young Firm are confronted almost daily with car and truck accidents in Breaux Bridge, New Iberia, Broussard, St. Martinsville, Lafayette, Opelousas and elsewhere in Louisiana, we can’t get used to them. Each accident is a shock, and this is why we are doing all we can to make our clients, their relatives and the public aware of the mostly avoidable causes and terrible consequences of vehicle accidents.

According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), in 2009, accidents caused some 2.3 million people to be injured, while fatal crashes resulted in 33,808 deaths (drivers, passengers, motorcyclists, bicyclists or pedestrians). These sobering figures hide the even more unpleasant reality that most accidents are perfectly avoidable.

32 percent of the auto accident fatalities in the United States in 2009 were caused by drunk driving. This represents almost 13,000 deaths in one year. For the State of Louisiana, the percentage is 37 percent, representing 415 fatalities. Of fatal accidents occurring between midnight and 3 a.m., 79 percent involved alcohol.

Roll-over accidents are deadly. While 20 percent of the fatal accidents involved a vehicle that rolled over, roll-overs only account for 5 percent of the accidents resulting in injuries, and 1.3 percent of the accidents resulting only in material damage.

Teenagers drive less than most but the oldest age groups, but their numbers of crashes and crash fatalities are much higher. The crash rate per mile driven is 4 times higher for the 16-19-year-old age group than for older drivers. The risk is highest at age 16, twice as high in fact as for 18-19-year-olds.

Read this new FREE book by the attorneys of the Young Firm to find out what to do and what to avoid after a serious crash. Order online now: A Guide to Steering Through a Serious Vehicle Accident in Louisiana.

If you have been the victim of a serious car or truck accident caused by someone, else contact immediately the attorneys of the Young Firm for a FREE consultation on your case at (504) 680-4100 (local) or (866) 660-7220 (toll free) or by sending us an e-mail.