Any car crash has the potential to produce severe or deadly injuries. Details about the circumstances influence the likelihood of a tragic outcome.
The speed of the vehicles, the size of the vehicles and even the location of the crash can influence the severity of the injuries sustained by the people in the vehicles. The nature of the crash itself, meaning how the vehicles collide with one another, can also influence the likelihood of people dying during the collision.
According to research into traffic fatalities by the National Safety Council (NSC), the deadliest form of collision is not what many people expect.
Head-on collisions are not the deadliest
When looking at the types of crashes that people fear and the safety precautions taken by manufacturers, it might be natural to assume that head-on collisions are the deadliest type of wreck. However, they are only responsible for 29.9% of all reported traffic fatalities.
The ability to see the risk before the crash occurs and the safety features built into vehicles both reduce the likelihood of a head-on collision proving fatal. The NSC instead identifies side-impact or angle collision crashes as the deadliest type of wreck.
Also known as T-bone collisions, these crashes involve one vehicle’s front end striking the side panel of another. Side impact collisions account for 44.8% of all deadly collisions. The inability to maneuver to prevent the crash and the lack of mandatory side-impact safety systems in vehicles no doubt contribute to those statistics.
Families adjusting to life after a deadly crash may have significant economic losses to address. Consulting with a lawyer regarding insurance coverage and litigation options can be helpful for those affected by a fatal car crash as a result.