Motor vehicle accidents are one of the leading causes of injury and death in the United States, and Georgia is no exception. While car accident deaths have declined in recent years, life-altering accidents are still far too common on our roads.

As part of Fairell Roy & Associates ’ commitment to making our community our safer place, this post will focus on some of the most recent car accident statistics in Georgia. After discussing the data, we’ll turn our attention toward the value of working with a personal injury attorney if you are injured or a loved one is wrongly killed while driving.

Contact our office if you need to speak with an Atlanta car accident attorney , and continue reading below to learn more about car accidents in Georgia.

As we noted above, traffic deaths actually decreased by 2.3% from 2017 to 2018. According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration’s (NHTSA) Fatality Analysis Reporting System (FARS), 1,540 Georgia residents were killed on the road in 2017; the next year, that number dropped by 36 to 1,504. Although 36 fewer deaths may not seem like a large number in this context, keep in mind that 36 fewer loved ones experienced monumental losses.

Unfortunately, cell phones may be to blame for many of the accidents and fatalities that occur on the road. Pedestrian deaths all increased for three years in a row; in the last five years, pedestrian deaths have gone up by approximately 60%.

More research is still being gathered, but the positive trend in safety on the road could be due to Georgia’s Hands Free Law, which states that drivers cannot use their hands or any part of their body to support a cell phone. If they need to make a call on the road, they must do so by speakerphone, wireless headphones, an electronic watch, or another device that does not require the use of their hands.

Experts believe that, while additional measures are needed to prevent further passenger deaths, injuries and accidents caused by cell phones could drop in the coming years if drivers yield to them and they are enforced stringently.

If you or someone you know is affected by a car accident, it’s important to contact an experienced personal injury attorney for a consultation after the incident.

Even in minor accidents, you could find yourself experiencing lingering effects weeks or months later, and you don’t want to find yourself unable to handle the medical expenses in addition to the costs of the accident. In more serious cases in which you are catastrophically injured or a loved one is killed due to someone else’s negligence while driving, having a personal injury attorney in your corner could make the difference between being adequately compensated for your losses — both economic and non-economic — and the other party walking away unaccountable for their actions.

If you contact Fairell Roy & Associates for a consultation after a car accident, you can count on us to thoroughly investigate the circumstances of your accident and work tirelessly on your behalf to bring the responsible party to justice. We understand that the weeks, months, and even years following an accident can be both trying and traumatic, and we’ll do everything we can to support you and your loved ones throughout the entire process.

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