New Hampshire Fatal Crash Statistics
Across the country, the rates of fatal vehicle crashes have declined, including in New Hampshire. While there are traffic safety areas that need improvement, overall the state and its drivers are continuing to work towards reaching zero preventable highway deaths.
The 10-year Core Performance Measures published by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) shows that traffic fatalities fell from a high of 166 in 2005 to 95 in 2014. These fatalities occurred almost equally on urban and rural roadways.
Unfortunately, of the 58 passenger vehicle fatalities, 45 were not wearing their seatbelts at the time of the accidents. The NHTSA estimates that if all vehicle occupants would wear their seatbelts 100 percent of the time, an additional 15 lives may have been saved.
The state does not have a mandatory helmet law, so the number of motorcycle fatalities is nearly always higher than it could have been. About 17 motorcyclists died in motor vehicle accidents in 2014, and 14 of them were not wearing a helmet. The NHTSA estimates that five additional lives could have been saved if all riders would wear their helmet every time they rode.
The Graduated Driver’s License (GDL) program gives new drivers extra time to learn valuable skills before they get full privileges. This program may be partly responsible for the significant decrease in the number of young drivers involved in fatal crashes. In fact, in 2005, vehicle operators under the age of 21 were involved in 25 fatal accidents, by 2014 only nine young drivers were involved in fatal crashes.
Drunk driving and speeding are negligent driving behaviors that claim far too many lives every year across the country. While the overall number of alcohol-related traffic deaths has declined, as many as 54 and as few as 29 people die every year in New Hampshire because of drunk driving. Speed-related deaths fell from 56 in 2005 to 47 in 2014, following a high of 66 in 2013.
Other fatal crash types include-
- 60 lives lost in single vehicle accidents
- 66 fatalities involved a vehicle leaving the roadway
- 18 lives lost in rollover accidents
- 12 fatalities involved a large truck
- 21 fatalities in intersection traffic
The number of pedestrians who lost their lives to motor vehicles has gone up across the country, as well as in New Hampshire. In fact, there were five fatal pedestrian accidents in 2005 rising to 12 in 2014. Bicyclist fatalities rose as high as 4 and a low as zero over the ten-year period, with three dying in 2014. This data clearly indicates that more needs to be done to protect walker, joggers, and hikers as the travel with and across traffic.
Have You Been Injured in a Car Accident? Call Us Today!
America’s highways and bi-ways are dangerous. If you have been injured in a car accident or lost a loved one in a fatal crash, you need a dedicated team of attorneys and legal professionals fighting for your rights. Our attorneys have a long and proven record of helping the victims of car accidents get the compensation they deserve.Call us today if you or a loved one were injured in a
- Commercial bus crashes
- School bus accidents
- Pedestrian accidents
- Bicycle accidents
- Truck crashes
- Motorcycle collisions
- Commercial vehicle accidents
- Semi-truck crashes
We’ll fight insurance companies, negligent operators, and reckless drivers to get you the maximum compensation you deserve.