Metro Detroit Car Crash Lawyers
Operating a car or truck while driving in metro Detroit is not easy. The roads are congested and people are in a hurry to get to their destination. In this blog, metro Detroit car accident lawyers review the Michigan Traffic Crash Facts for the tri-county area, consisting of Wayne, Oakland and Macomb counties.
The Michigan State Police publishes traffic crash facts on yearly basis. The MSP is charged with compiling the data from Michigan Traffic Crash Report Forms (UD-10) submitted by local police departments, sheriff’s offices, and the Michigan State Police itself.
A review of the 2014 traffic crash facts for the metro Detroit area reveals some startling information. Last year, there were 217,229 drivers involved in 112,853 motor vehicle crashes. Of those, there were 279 fatalities and 31,348 injury victims. January had by far the most crashes, which was not surprising given the very snowy winter we had in the 2013-2014 season. However, the most number of injuries occurred in October, which is rare. Typically, June or July are the most dangerous months to travel in the state.
2014 saw a large increase in the total number of crashes when compared to prior years. In fact, with 112,853 car crashes, the number of accidents was up by more than 10% compared to 2010 and 2012. I think the reason for this is twofold. First, the economy has been improving, and with that the total number of miles driven by motorists has increased. Second, like I mentioned earlier, the winter was awful last year and the snowy and icy road conditions make it very difficult to travel.
What day of the week experienced the most crashes? If you guessed Friday or Saturday you’d be wrong. The correct answer in 2014 was Wednesday with over 19,000 total crashes. This appears to be an anomaly. In the preceding 4 years, Friday was the most dangerous day.
What time of day experienced the most crashes? If you guessed the afternoon rush hour, you are correct. The time between 3:00 to 5:00 pm far and away saw the most car wrecks in metro Detroit in 2014 with over 29,000 crashes. This time frame also experienced the most injuries from crashes, with almost 6,000 injuries occurring then.
Of the three counties, Wayne County experienced the most serious car accidents. There were over 10,000 people injured in Wayne County in 2014 due to car accidents, with 155 fatalities. More than a 1,000 of the 48,000 crashes involved alcohol in Wayne County. Oakland County experienced the most deer accidents and also saw more than 1,000 car accidents involving alcohol.
The Lee Steinberg Law Firm, P.C. handles Michigan car accident and Michigan no-fault law cases in the metro Detroit area and throughout the state. Call us toll free at 1-800-533-3733 with any questions. There is no fee unless we win your case and we are here to serve our clients. Call Lee Free today.
