There Are Many Accidents

On late Sunday night there is rarely any traffic, but for some reason the highway has come to a standstill.

You hear sirens of cop cars, ambulances and fire trucks as they make their way past all the traffic.

There was a bad accident that happened on the highway.

Once I got close enough I could make out what had happened.

There was a motorcycle that was almost completely disintegrated and the back of a car that was smashed in.

As I got closer I saw there was a body covered with a tarp and a couple of other people standing off to the side.

I am assuming that the motorcycle rider died on impact while the people in the car were still alive.

There are accidents happening all the time you never know when one could happen next.

That is why you should be careful when you drive and always remember that anything can happen to you.

Who Are Involved in Accidents

Reports find that individuals aged 15-29 are at the highest risk for motor vehicle crash related injuries.

They alone make up almost 1 million of the 2.5 million, or 38 percent, documented injuries for 2014.

However, the highest percentage of hospitalized individuals came from the 80 years or older group of

people, where 33 percent of them ended up requiring hospitalization.

The average cost for an emergency room visit was around $3,300 while the average hospitalization bill was

approximately $57,000 over the course of a lifetime.

75 percent of these costs were accrued in the first 18 months after the crash.

Despite the findings, there is good news.

Vehicle Accidents Reduced

Compared to 2002, there were 400,000 fewer emergency room visits and 5,700 fewer hospital stays in 2014.

The CDC estimates that $1.7 billion was saved in medical costs and $2.3 billion was saved in work loss due to efforts

over the years to enhance driver safety.

Although vehicle crashes have reduced in volume over the years, there is still quite a bit of room for improvement.

What Have We Done to Reduce Accidents

Some examples of ways to reduce accidents are setting up sobriety checkpoints and ignition locks for convicted

drinking and driving, a more comprehensive driver licensing system for teens, improved child safety with required

car/booster seats for children under 8 or less than 57 inches tall, and seat belt laws for everyone in the car.

Equipped with these suggested state safety regulations and safer and smarter cars on the road, motor vehicle crashes should be primed to see a significant decrease in lifetime emergency room and hospitalization costs in the future.