A message from auto insurance carriers across the country: There’s a reason you’re 60% more likely to have an accident your first five years behind the wheel. Sure, you’re just starting to get a feel for driving. Yeah, it’s more fun to play with the radio than sit in traffic. Updating your Facebook status is INFINITELY more interesting than zoning out on the road.
But that’s not all.
Teenagers think they’re indestructible, that car accidents only happen when people drive like morons (a direct quote) and that accidents are uncommon enough that they don’t have to worry about their behavior behind the wheel. As long as they stay on the road.
Auto insurance companies would beg to differ. So would the World Health Organization, FARS and any other organization that keeps track of this sort of thing.
Every 26 Seconds? Seriously?
While Snopes.com was able to prove that there’s more tale than truth to the statement that more people die by donkey each year than in commercial airline crashes, there are no ifs or buts about the fact that you’re more likely to die in a car accident than both of those put together. You can touch base with your auto insurance for an updated version of these figures, but here’s what we found when we went looking:
- On average, someone dies in a car crash every 26 seconds worldwide.
- WHO (the World Health Organization) predicts that car accidents will be the third most common cause of death around the globe by 2020. (These people deal with the death toll from AIDS, ebola, diabetes and heart disease. They know what they’re talking about.)
- In 2009, over 2 million people were injured in car accidents in the US. gt;30,000 were killed.
- Motor vehicle crashes are the #1 cause of death for children and teenagers.
- In Pennsylvania, in 2009 the amount of property damaged due to car accidents totaled $1,086 for every man, woman, and child in the state.
Chilled yet? I was. More than a little. Even when you’re driving down the highway on a summer night and you pass an accident every couple of miles, your mind doesn’t necessarily equate that little fender bender with a nationwide epidemic. (Pandemic? Which way would you go on that?) The point is, accidents are a problem. A big problem. And it’s costing you more than you think. Considering all this, it is really important that you opt for car insurance. There are tons of car insurance options that are available in the market. This is why it can be a little confusing for you to choose from the lot. In such cases, you can compare and read reviews of different car insurance policies on https://www.410injury.com/.
Auto Insurance, and Other Not-So-Hidden Costs
The car’s going to take damage. So is the guardrail. There’s really no getting around that. But getting your car fixed isn’t the only thing you’re going to have to pay for after you’ve been in an accident. You’re just not that lucky. There’s also the long term hike in your auto insurance. Hours lost finding a company that will insure you after you’ve had one too many. Deductible after deductible.
Not to mention the endless ridicule after you manage to hit a parked car, run into a building or total the car because of a butterfly. An ounce of prevention is worth an entire month of moving to a new state. It’s just not worth it.
