There are approximately  202,810 million licensed drivers in the United States and 251,423 registered (legal) vehicles. 42,642 people died as a result of a traffic collision. Miscellaneous

In Florida alone, 3,374 people lost their life as a result of a traffic collision and it breaks down as follows:

• FL drivers (the one who was behind the wheel): 1,476/43.7%
• Passengers: 621/18.4%
• Motorcycle Rider: 562/16.7%
• Pedalcyclist: 546/16.2%
• Others/Unknown: 132/3.9%

Death Total: 3,374

Most fatal crashes, injury occurring as a result of a crash and property damage is caused by young male drivers between the ages of 16 - 24. (page 99 Motor Vehicle Crash Data)

• Fatal crashes decreased by 1.7 percent from 2005 to 2006, and the fatality rate dropped to 1.41 fatalities per 100 million vehicle miles of travel in 2006
• The injury rate per 100 million vehicle miles of travel decreased by 5.6 percent from 2005 to 2006.
• The occupant fatality rate (including motorcycle riders) per 100,000 population, which declined by 22.7
  percent from 1975 to 1992, decreased by 4.3 percent from 1992 to 2006.
• The occupant injury rate (including motorcycle riders) per 100,000 population, which declined by 13.6 percent from 1988 to 1992, decreased by 27.8 percent from 1992 to 2006
• The nonoccupant fatality rate per 100,000 population has declined by 51.9 percent from 1975 to 2006
• The nonoccupant injury rate per 100,000 population has declined by 53.2 percent from 1988 to 2006
• The percent of alcohol-related fatalities has declined from 60 percent in 1982 to 41 percent in 2006.
• Nearly 6 million police-reported motor vehicle crashes occurred in the United States in 2006. Fewer than
  one-third of those crashes (1.75 million) resulted in an injury, and fewer than 1 percent (38,588) resulted in a death
• Midnight to 3 a.m. on Saturdays and Sundays proved to be the deadliest 3-hour periods throughout 2006, with 1,283 and 1,372 fatal crashes, respectively
• Fifty-nine percent of fatal crashes involved only one vehicle, as compared with 31 percent of injury crashes and 30 percent of property-damage-only crashes
• Half of all fatal crashes in 2006 occurred on roads with posted speed limits of 55 mph or more, as compared with 23 percent of injury and property-damage-only crashes
• Collision with another motor vehicle in transport was the most common first harmful event for fatal, injury, and property-damage-only crashes. Collisions with fixed objects and noncollisions accounted for only 19 percent of all crashes, but they accounted for 45 percent of fatal crashes.
• Forty-one percent of fatal crashes involved alcohol. For fatal crashes occurring from midnight to 3 a.m.,
  77 percent involved alcohol.
• Nearly 95 percent of the 10.6 million vehicles involved in motor vehicle crashes in 2006 were passenger cars or light trucks.
• Large trucks accounted for 8 percent of the vehicles in fatal crashes, but only 3 percent of the vehicles involved in injury crashes and 4 percent of the vehicles involved in property-damage-only crashes. Of the 4,732 large trucks involved in fatal crashes, 74 percent were combination trucks.
• The proportion of vehicles that rolled over in fatal crashes (21.6 percent) was 4 times as high as the proportion in injury crashes (5.3 percent) and 15 times as high as the proportion in property-damage-only crashes (1.4 percent).
• Compared with other vehicle types, utility vehicles experienced the highest rollover rates in fatal crashes (35.1 percent) and in injury crashes (9.8 percent). Large trucks experienced the highest rollover rate in property-damage-only crashes (2.6 percent).
• Fires occurred in 0.1 percent of the vehicles involved in all traffic crashes in 2006. For fatal crashes, however, fires occurred in 3 percent of the vehicles involved.
• Regardless of crash severity, the majority of vehicles in single- and two-vehicle crashes were going straight prior to the crash. The next most common vehicle maneuver differed by crash severity: negotiating a curve for fatal crashes, turning left for injury crashes, and stopped in traffic lane for property-damage-only crashes.
• Motorcycles in fatal crashes had the highest proportion of collisions with fixed objects (24.9 percent), and buses in fatal crashes had the lowest proportion (2.3 percent).
• A total of 42,642 people lost their lives in motor vehicle crashes in 2006. Another 2.6 million people were injured.
• The majority of persons killed or injured in traffic crashes were drivers (65 percent), followed by passengers (27 percent), motorcycle riders (4 percent), pedestrians (3 percent), and pedalcyclists (2 percent).
• Per 100,000 population, persons 21 to 24 years old had the highest fatality rate, and persons 16 to 20 years old had the highest injury rate. Children 5 to 9 years old had the lowest fatality rate and children under 5 had the lowest injury rate per 100,000 population.
• For every age group except people under 5 years old, the fatality rate per 100,000 population was lower for females than for males. The injury rate based on population was higher for females than for males in every age group, except for people under 5 years old and people over 74 years old.
• Of the persons who were killed in traffic crashes in 2006, 41 percent died in alcohol-related crashes. Eleven percent of the injured persons received their injuries in alcohol-related crashes.
• Traffic fatalities dropped by 2.0 percent from 2005 to 2006 for the Nation as a whole. Twenty-seven States and the District of Columbia showed decreases, ranging from 1 percent to as much as 23 percent.
• The pedestrian fatality rate per 100,000 population was 1.60 for the Nation. New Mexico had the highest rate (3.53), and Vermont had no pedestrian fatalities.
• About 1.8 percent of all traffic crash fatalities in 2006 were pedalcyclists. North Dakota, Wyoming, Vermont, and the District of Columbia reported no pedalcyclists killed.
• In 2006, all 50 States, the District of Columbia, and Puerto Rico had safety belt use laws. All 50 States, the District of Columbia, and Puerto Rico also had laws requiring children of certain ages to be restrained in child safety seats.
• Motorcycle helmets were required for all riders in 20 States, the District of Columbia, and Puerto Rico in 2006. Twenty-six States had helmet requirements with exceptions (age, rider type, roadway type), and four States did not require helmets at all.
• In 2006, it was a criminal offense to operate a motor vehicle at a blood alcohol concentration (BAC) of .08 g/dl or above in all 50 States, the District of Columbia, and Puerto Rico.

Air Bags

ESTIMATED GROSS NUMBER OF LIVES SAVED BY AIR BAGS AS OF 7/1/2008

• 27022 total: 22126 drivers (8720 belted, 13416 not belted) and 4896 front-right passengers (2133 belted, 2771 not belted)

More Interesting Driving Facts

Motorcycles

During 2002, 215 young motorcycle operators (15-20 years old) were killed and an additional 9,000 were injured.

Helmets are estimated to be 29 percent effective in preventing fatalities among motorcyclists. NHTSA estimates that helmets saved the lives of 692 motorcyclists of all ages in 2002, and that if all motorcyclists had worn helmets, an additional 449 lives could have been saved.

During 2002, 45 percent of the motorcycle drivers between 15 and 20 years old who were fatally injured in rashes were not wearing helmets.

Of the young motorcycle drivers involved in fatal crashes in 2002, nearly one-half (49 percent) were either unlicensed or driving with an invalid license.

Alcohol

NHTSA defines a fatal traffic crash as being alcohol-related if either a driver or a non-occupant (e.g., pedestrian) had a blood alcohol concentration (BAC) of 0.01 grams per deciliter (g/dl) or greater in a police-reported traffic crash. Persons with a BAC of 0.08 g/dl) or greater involved in fatal crashes are considered to be intoxicated. This is the legal limit of intoxication in most states.

All states and the District of Columbia now have 21-year0old minimum drinking age laws. NHTSA estimates that these laws have reduced traffic fatalities involving driver 18 to 20 years old by 13 percent and have saved an estimated 21, 887 lives since 1975. In 2002, an estimated 917 lives were saved by minimum drinking age laws.

In 2002, 24 percent of the young driver 15 to 20 years old were killed in crashes were intoxicated.

The severity of a crash increases with alcohol involvement. In 2002, 2 percent of the 15 - 20 year old drivers involved in property-damage- only crashes had been drinking, 4 percent of those involved in crashes resulting in injury had been drinking, and 23 percent of those involved in fatal crashes had been drinking.

For young drivers 15 to 20 years old, alcohol involvement is higher among males than among females. In 2002, 27 percent of the young male drivers involved in fatal crashes had been drinking at the time of the crash, compared with 11 percent of the young female drivers involved in fatal crashes.

Drivers are less likely to use restraints when they have been drinking. In 2002, 69 percent of the young drivers of passenger vehicles involved in fatal crashes who had been drinking were unrestrained. Of the young drivers who had been drinking and were killed in crashes, 77 percent were unrestrained.

1. Automobile crashes are the leading cause of death and injury to teens in the United States and Florida

2. Law enforcement classifies over 70% of all teen crashes as "Avoidable."

3.  In the year 2000, over three times more teens died on our highways than all the people killed in the attack on the twin towers in New York.

4. The death of a teen in an automobile crash results in a divorce almost 60% of the time.

5. Automobile crashes are the leading cause of epilepsy.

6. Injury producing crashes involving teens cost Florida taxpayers over 3.5 billion dollars in 1999.

7. Between 25 - 30% of teen drivers will have a crash within the first 12 months of getting their operators license.

Alcohol and drugs are not the leading cause of teen crashes. It's inexperience. Nationally, alcohol or drugs cause less than 3% of teen crashes. (Where the teen is the one drinking or doing drugs)

The over all number of traffic fatalities in 2007 reached its lowest level since 1994. The 2007 Annual Assessment of Motor Vehicle Traffic Crash Fatalities and People Injured shows a 3.9-percent decline in people killed in the United States, from 42,708 in 2006 to 41,059. This reduction in fatalities is the larg-est in terms of both number and percentage since 1992. Pas-senger car occupant fatalities declined for the fifth consecu-tive year, while light-truck occupant fatalities dropped for the second consecutive year. However, motorcyclist fatalities continued their 10-year increase, reaching 5,154 in 2007, the highest number since NHTSAstarted collecting fatality crash data in 1975. Motorcyclist fatalities now account for 13 per-cent of total fatalities. The data (see Table 1) shows a decrease in fatalities for all person types except motorcyclists. The number of people injured in crashes was estimated to be below 2.5 million for the first time since NHTSA began collecting injury data in 1988. In 2007, about 2.49 million people were injured in motor vehicle traffic crashes, compared to 2.58 million in 2006 (see Table 1). This constitutes the eighth consecutive yearly reduction in people injured (see Chart 2, overleaf). The number of people injured declined in all cat-egories except motorcyclists and pedestrians.The fatality rate per 100 million vehicle miles traveled (VMT) fell to a historic low of 1.37 (Table 2). The overall injury rate also declined. The 2007 rates are based on the latest (May 2008) traffic volume trend estimates from the Federal High-way Administration (FHWA). Overall VMT decreased by 0.6 percent over 2006 VMT – from 3,014,116 million to 2,996,232 million. VMT data will be updated when FHWAofficially re-leases the 2007Annual Highway Statistics.Alcohol-impaired driving fatalities (fatalities in crashes involving a driver or motorcycle rider with a blood alcohol concentration [BAC]

For a complete PDF report, please click here.

What Would You Do If You Found Yourself In This emergency Situation?

Emergency situations always appear unannounced. That's why Avanti Auto Driving School has incorporated the driving safety tips area into our web site. Would you know what to do if the following situations occurred to you?

You're driving along, and you suddenly see smoke coming from under your hood. What would you do?

1. Ignore it and keep driving.

2. Scream loudly and start panicking.

3. Pull off the side of the road immediately and stop the car.

The answer is #3, Pull off the side of the road immediately and stop the car. The best thing to do is turn your engine off, and carefully raise the car's hood. Be sure to step back to avoid being burned by any hot, discharged liquids. If you should see flames, NEVER spray water on a burning engine because, an oil fire or gas leak is easily spread to other parts of your engine when doused by water. Run immediately to a safe distance and call for help.

Your car suddenly stops. It will not start and you're on a remote road. Someone pulls up behind you. What would you do?

1. Get out of the car and introduce yourself.

2. Lower the window an inch and ask the person to call for help.

3. Immediately call for help on your cell phone, motion to the person that you're fine and help is on the way.

The answer is #2 or #3 depending on if you left the house with your cell phone in hand or in your pocketbook. Nowadays, cell phones are easy to get, can be paid for on a monthly basis, and should be a necessary piece of equipment before you get into the car. Never get out of your car or let someone else inside.

You're on I-95, the beginning of morning rush hour. You hit your brakes and nothing happens. What would you do?

1. Start saying your prayers and kiss the world good-bye.

2. Take your foot off the gas, put your emergency flashers on, *honk your horn, and down shift while easing to the side of the road.

3. Gradually pull the emergency brake.

The answer is #2 and then #3. If this ever happens to you - and chances are slim that it won't - do not panic. There are two goals here. 1) to reduce the speed of your car in a safe manner and 2) to get to the shoulder of the road. First, take your foot off the accelerator and reduce the speed of your car down by down shifting into a lower gear. THEN gradually pull up on the emergency brake. DO NOT pull on the emergency brake without following the first step. The consequences of immediately pulling on the emergency brake are being catapulted through the windshield. (Especially if you're not buckled up.)

If you're driving through an intersection, and if your car has the horn located in the center of the steering wheel, lay your forearm - while steering of course - on the horn and keep it there, while down shifting. Again, the goal is to get the car to slow down and eventually stopped.

If after trying the above maneuver, and the car is still not responding, immediately call 911 on your cell phone (providing you have one). They will ask for your exact location and, in order to have your car come to a complete stop, you will need the assistance of another vehicles "braking system". Again, do not panic.

If you do not have a cell phone, and you are in a rural or suburban area, to reduce your speed -- after following the above instructions first ... look for something "soft" that you can run your car into that will assist you with stopping or slowing down the vehicle. What I mean by "soft" is: shrubs, green overgrowth, or small thin trees that will obviously be knocked down. However, they will assist you with stopping or slowing down the vehicle. If there are no shrubs, overgrowth or small trees (and only big strong trees) you will have two options. 1)  go for a larger tree but hit it on an angle. You DO NOT want to hit the tree head on. or 2) Unbuckle your seat belt, open the car door - while steering - and tuck and roll out of the car.

As a driver who may find themselves in an emergency situation as described above, it is clear that only you will have the ability to safely decide which alternative to take. After all, you're the one whose behind the wheel and driving the car. I can not emphasize enough that it is vital to keep up with the maintenance of your car and in this case, it's the brake system. I always as a rule, take my car in to my trusted mechanic every 3000 miles for fluid replacement, regular oil changes and an overall car check. It is also important to take your car to your mechanic immediately when you notice your foot has to pump harder or longer than usual before the car stops, or when I hear "strange unfamiliar noises" either when the brakes are applied, starting up the engine or, when driving my car around town.

You feel or notice that someone is following you.  OR ... it's late at night, you're in a deserted area, an unmarked vehicle has a "flashing blue light" on the dashboard. You pull over and notice that the person getting out of the vehicle is not in a uniform. What would you do?

1. Stop the car, get out and introduce yourself.

2. Drive to the nearest police station or, highly populated lit up store.

3. Try to get away.

This is a frequently asked question that always pop's up in my driver improvement class, and is something that we always go over when training a new driver. The answer is #2. Drive to the nearest police or sub station station or, highly populated lit up store. It is always best to familiarize yourself with the locations of all local area police or sheriff sub stations for your traveled area. The rule here is safety first, and with today's society, there are a lot of crazy people out there and taking life threatening chances is definitely not worth the risk.

New! A month never goes by without hearing from a panicked client that they paid the full dollar amount of a traffic citation AND, they don't want the points on their license. Is this something that needs to be chalked up to experience, bite the bullet and hope that the insurance companies will never find out? My answer: NOPE!

Many people are under the impression that once the citation is paid, there's nothing that can be done. Oh how wrong they are. As a matter of fact ... there's even a window of opportunity. But you're gonna have to call for the answer.

Still have questions? Call me at (561) 338-6400.