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Urban Car Crashes: What to Know

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As is true in many urban areas, motor vehicle collisions in Richmond are a common cause of serious and deadly injuries among car and truck occupants, as well as among pedestrians and bicyclists. While there are urban areas that are busier than Richmond, the city is nonetheless an area where significant traffic affects local roads and major highways. According to a report from the City of Richmond, motor vehicle deaths showed a slight decline in the region between 2022 and 2023, but they still remained “high.” At the same time, the rate of serious nonfatal injuries actually rose in Richmond during that period. As one of many American cities with a “Vision Zero” strategy in place, serious and deadly accidents should be declining at a greater rate, but vehicle occupants and pedestrians alike continue to suffer significant harm in collisions.

What should you know about urban crashes in Richmond? Our Richmond personal injury attorneys can provide you with more information.

Common Types of Serious and Fatal Accidents in Urban Areas 

The types of severe and deadly collisions that occur in urban areas tend to be different from the types of crashes that happen in suburban and especially rural areas. According to the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS) and the Highway Loss Data Institute (HLDI), fatalities in urban areas most often tend to involve pedestrians and bicyclists at intersections. Large truck accidents tend to occur less often in urban parts of cities like Richmond, but they do occur on high-speed roads like I-95 or I-64 where they tend to involve serious and deadly injuries among smaller car and light truck or SUV occupants.

Over the last several decades, the IIHS and HLDI also reveal that serious and fatal urban injuries have risen while rural injuries have declined. The data also shows that most serious and deadly accidents involving motorcyclists occur in urban areas, while numbers are relatively steady involving cars, minivans, pickup trucks, and SUVs. Speeding in urban areas especially is a key factor in collisions resulting in injuries. Part of the aims of “Vision Zero” are to reduce speeding in areas of the city that pedestrians and bicyclists tend to frequent.

Tracking Urban Collisions and Injuries in Richmond 

In Richmond specifically, over the last three years there have been an average of 4,217 collisions annually, nearly 2,100 injuries, and 20 deaths. The most commonly cited causal factors for urban accidents and resulting injuries that have occurred in Richmond include alcohol intoxication, speeding, and failing to wear a seat belt.

Anyone who has been injured in a motor vehicle crash in the Richmond area — whether as a vehicle occupant, or as a bicyclist or pedestrian — should find out more about filing an injury claim in order to seek financial compensation. Most civil lawsuits for personal injuries must be filed within two years from the date of the injury.

 Contact Our Richmond Car Accident Attorneys for Assistance

Do you need assistance with a personal injury claim following an urban car crash? One of the experienced Richmond auto accident lawyers at Latham & Martin can begin working with you on your case.

Sources:

iihs.org/topics/fatality-statistics/detail/urban-rural-comparison

crashstats.nhtsa.dot.gov/Api/Public/ViewPublication/813488.pdf

injuryfacts.nsc.org/motor-vehicle/road-users/pedestrians/#:~:text=According%20to%20NHTSA%20data%2C%20in,without%20artificial%20lighting%20(74%25)

wric.com/news/local-news/richmond/annual-traffic-related-deaths-in-richmond-decrease-slightly-but-remain-high-in-2023/#:~:text=The%20data%20shows%20there%20was,the%202%2C133%20injuries%20in%202022

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