Tennessee auto fatality levels among the nation’s highest

The good news is that traffic fatalities went down in Tennessee last year. Unfortunately, along with showing this decrease, recent federal statistics on U.S. traffic deaths in 2015 point to some other things that temper how encouraging this news is.

For one, the statistics indicate that the decrease was quite small. The traffic fatality total for the state in 2015 was 958 deaths, only 5 fatalities less than the previous year. This decrease is well under 1 percent.

Also, despite the decrease, Tennessee is in the top fourth of states when it comes to fatality level out on the roads. Based on federal statistics, Tennessee has the 12th highest auto fatality level in the country.

One wonders what things are keeping Tennessee from being able to see larger motor vehicle death decreases that would remove it from being among the nation’s deadliest states traffic-wise. One also wonders what it would take to overcome these deterrents to Tennessee’s roads being a safer place.

In addition to significant emotional challenges, Tennessee families can face some very impactful decisions following losing a loved one out on the roads. This could include whether or not to accept a compensation offer that an insurance company has presented in relation to the crash that took their loved one’s life. What a family decides in this regard can have considerable and long-lasting implications for them, financial and otherwise. Thus, it is a decision a family may not want to make without first consulting with an experienced wrongful death attorney.

Source: WZTV, “National Highway Traffic Safety Administration: Tennessee 12th in traffic fatalities,” Adrian Mojica, Aug. 31, 2016