The AAA Foundation for Traffic Safety reports that about 20 percent of all deadly car accidents in Manhattan and elsewhere involve an non-licensed driver. A new study was recently released, examining these dangerous drivers, sorted through information gathered from 2007 through 2009. Researchers predict that about 3 percent of all drivers likely didn’t have a valid driver’s license during this time.
Nearly 88 percent of drivers who were involved in a deadly car accident from 2007 to 2009 reportedly had a valid driver’s license. Unfortunately, statistics reveal that more that about 18 percent of deadly accidents involved a driver who didn’t have a valid driver’s license. Of these accidents, more than 6.5 percent were driving with a revoked or suspended driver’s license, 1.1 percent were driving with a canceled or an expired license and about 5 percent were completely unlicensed.
Our Manhattan car accident lawyers understand that more than 21,000 people died in these car accidents that involved improperly licensed drivers during this time. Experts report that there was an increasing trend in the number of improperly licensed drivers from 1990 to 2007, but reports indicated that from 2007 on, that pattern has begun to reverse. They’re planning on studying future stats to see if this trend continues.
Some age groups are more likely than others to be improperly licensed drivers. Statistics revealed that drivers aged 21- to 34-years-old are most likely to be behind the wheel with a suspended or revoked driver’s license. About half of all the people who were involved in accidents that were improperly licensed were in this age group.
To make matters even worse, in about half of the fatal accidents involving an improperly licensed driver during this timeframe, the driver had alcohol in their system. About 25 percent of these accidents involved an improperly licensed driver who was drunk behind the wheel.
A driver with an improper license or no license at all almost assuredly is also without insurance. That means you may have a leg up on the case if an unlicensed and uninsured driver stops after being involved in an accident, statistics show that nearly more than 51 percent of drivers who were improperly licensed fled the scene of the fatal traffic accident.
The bottom line in this study is that improperly licensed drivers are more likely to be involved in a deadly accident than drivers who obtain a valid driver’s license.
Of the drivers involved in fatal car accidents from 2007 to 2009:
-There were more than 151,800 drivers involved in deadly accidents.
-Nearly 130,860 had valid driver’s license.
-Nearly 9,400 had a revoked or suspended driver’s license.
-More than 6,700 were completely unlicensed.
-Nearly 1,500 possessed a driver’s licensed that had either been denied or canceled.
-The driver’s license status or nearly 3,900 drivers was unknown.
The Law Offices of Nicholas Rose, PLLC is dedicated to helping victims recover from a car accident in New York City and in the surrounding areas. If you or someone you love has been injured in a car accident, call 1-877-313-7673 to receive a free consultation from an experienced car accident attorney.
More Blog Entries:
Winter Weather: A Continued Threat Causing Car Accidents in New York City, New York Injury Lawyer Blog, January 19, 2012
New York Teens Share Stories of Tragedy and Survival Following a Car Accident, New York Injury Lawyer Blog, December 26, 2011
