Oklahoma residents have good reason to be cautious when venturing out onto state roads according to data from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. Road fatalities across the country average 10.7 per 100,000 people, but that number rises to 18.9 deaths per 100,000 people in Oklahoma. This makes Oklahoma statistically the third most dangerous state for road users with only the roads of Montana and Mississippi being more hazardous. Road users in the District of Columbia are the least likely to be killed, according to the NHTSA figures.
While these numbers may be sobering, they do represent great improvements in road safety. Traffic accident fatalities began dropping in the mid 1980s, and they have fallen by more than a third in the last few years. Many observers put improvements in accident survival rates down to innovative automobile safety features, and they say that the downward trend in fatality rates is likely to continue in the coming years as even more sophisticated accident prevention technology is introduced by car makers.
While health issues such as cancer and heart disease remain the nation’s leading killers, road travel is still a leading cause of death in the United States according to the Centers for Disease Control. Data from the CDC reveals that car accidents kill as many Americans as firearms and almost as many as falls.
Oklahoma residents injured in an automobile accident may seek civil damages if the driver responsible for causing the crash acted negligently. Establishing liability and negligent behavior is sometimes a challenge, and personal injury attorneys may pursue their own investigations when police reports and witness statements are inconclusive. These investigations could involve scrutinizing video footage recorded on security cameras near the scene of the accident as well as inspecting the vehicles involved for signs of faulty repairs or inadequate maintenance.