Philadelphia Personal Injury Attorney Blog | Pomerantz Perlberger & Lewis LLP

Recently, two studies have pointed to the likelihood that higher gas prices would lead to fewer auto accidents and correspondingly reduce the number of auto accident deaths.

The first study was published in March of this year, in the Journal of Occupational and Environmental Medicine by University of California at Davis researchers, who used a computer model to study the likely effects of boosted gas prices on auto accident serious injuries and deaths. The model utilized gas prices during 2003 as its source data and projected that for a 20 percent increase in gas prices, we would see approximately 2000 fewer deaths from auto accidents, and 600 fewer deaths from air pollution. With the dramatic increase in gas prices, this model would project a decline of about 6000 auto accident deaths in 2008 versus 2006.

The second study considered only auto accident-related deaths and was presented at a meeting of the American Society of Health Economists in June. This study utilized data on fatalities and gas prices from 1985 to 2006, and it projected that in the overall population, every increase of 10 percent led to a decrease in fatalities of about 2.3 percent. The decline was proportionately higher among younger drivers, with 15-17 year-olds seeing as much as a 6 percent decline in fatalities, and college-aged drivers seeing a decline of 3.2 percent. The authors said they expect to see a decline of about 1000 deaths a month as a result of the decline, although this is not strictly in keeping with their findings, which would actually project a decline of about 600 deaths per month.

The truth is that auto accident rates are proportional to miles driven. If you drive, you will be in an accident, sooner or later, and unfortunately that accident could lead to the wrongful death of a loved one. If you have been in an auto accident, contact an auto accident lawyer at Pomerantz, Perlberger, and Lewis, LLP today for a free initial consultation.