You get behind the wheel of your car knowing that no matter what happens today, you’ll return home in one piece. Your car’s airbags are reliable as ever, seat belts are super tight, and all humans inside your car will be unharmed no matter how severe a car accident is. This is the year X, and day by day we are slowly inching to the moment when vehicle safety is no longer a concern, it’s our pride.
In the year 2017, we cannot say that cars are 100% safe to ride, but neither can we say that they were as unsafe as one or two decades ago. But does it mean that new cars are safer than older ones?
This year, U.S. vehicle sales reached their all-time high with more than $17.55 million sold, beating 2015’s record of $17.47 million. Statistics show that there are 6.43 million cars in Los Angeles for a population of 11.87 million. That means 0.54 vehicles are owned per person in LA, which even places the city ahead of New York City, where there are 0.43 vehicles per person.
You can see all kinds of cars on the streets of Los Angeles nowadays, from rusty 1990s-manufactured cars to fancy and costly Lamborghinis and Porsches. These cars kill over 30,000 people in the U.S. every year. However, a decade ago that number stood at over 40,000 people that died in car accidents.
The rather gloomy statistics in the mid-2000s prompted many governments to allocate sizeable budgets to make advances in vehicle safety. The statistics are particularly remarkable because the U.S. population was much lower 10 years ago than it is now, and yet more people were dying in car crashes. So does it mean new cars are safer than old cars?
According to a 2013 research paper, the older a car is, the more likely its driver will die in a car accident. Contrary to the popular belief that older cars used to be much slower, hence less likely to cause a fatal car accident, the study showed that the newer a car is, the less likely its driver will die.
The study also reiterated that failing to buckle up cancels out most – if not all – of the benefits of driving a brand new car. Drivers that fail to fasten their seat belt are up to 78% likely to die in a car crash regardless of the ‘newness’ of their car.
The findings of the study should be of particular interest to those considering to let their children drive their older car instead of buying a newer, more expensive car. While you’ll certainly have to dig deep into the cookie jar when buying a new car, you’ll dramatically lower the chances of your kid getting into a fatal car accident on the streets of Los Angeles.
New and older cars usually have different insurance coverage plans. While new cars most of the time have full coverage (collision and comprehensive) car insurance, owners of older cars usually go for a liability-only policy. Depending on your insurance coverage plan, you need to adopt a different approach to negotiating with your insurance company to obtain fair compensation for a car accident.
Seek help from an experienced car collision lawyer in Los Angeles to evaluate your risks and damages and receive maximum compensation for your injuries and vehicle damages.
Call the Law Offices of Howard Craig Kornberg at 310-997-0904 and let our car accident attorneys consult you about your particular case for free.