Fewer Truck Injury and Fatal Accidents is One Benefit of Higher Gas Prices
One benefit of the drastic increase in gas prices is that there have been fewer serious injury and fatal accidents involving semi trucks and all vehicles on the roads. According to a recent article on Sfgate.com, the National Safety Council reported a 9% drop in deaths from motor vehicle accidents in the first five months of this year compared to last year (although deaths from motor vehicle accidents have increased in eight states).
In Florida, death rates from vehicle accidents are down 11% this year. There are several factors that contribute to the number of serious injuries and deaths that result from motor vehicle accidents that are unrelated to gas prices, such as increased seat belt usage and better safety engineering in vehicles, but two effects that are likely contributing to the fewer fatal accidents are that people are driving less and more slowly to save money on gas. When there are fewer vehicles on the road that are moving more slowly, the logical result is fewer and less serious accidents.
