What Are the Odds of Dying in a Car Crash?

The odds of dying in a car crash depend on many factors, including your location and gender. They also depend on your driving habits. Safer drivers are less likely to die in a car accident.

These odds help insurance companies set your rates. States use these statistics to plan road improvements and set law enforcement priorities. And you can use them to adjust your behavior and reduce your risk of a fatal accident.

Here are some ways you can measure your odds of dying in a car crash and what you can take away from the stats. 

Lifetime Odds of Dying in a Car Crash

You will spend a lot of time in vehicles during your life. Your lifetime odds are designed to measure your chances of dying in a car accident at any time during your life. In other words, your lifetime odds tell you the probability that your death will result from a car accident.

Your lifetime odds of dying in a car accident are 1 in 107. These are roughly the same odds as dying in a fall. In comparison, your most likely causes of death are heart disease at 1 in 6 and cancer at 1 in 7.

Annual Odds of Dying in a Car Crash

Your annual odds of dying in a car crash tell you the likelihood that you will die in a car crash during 2022. These odds compare your risk of dying in a car crash to the likelihood of either surviving 2022 or dying from another cause.

Your odds of dying in a car crash this year are one in 8,393. Your odds of dying in a pedestrian accident in 2022 are one in 42,806.

Odds of Dying in a Car Crash in Florida

The odds of dying in a car crash in Florida exceed the national average. When comparing the risk from state to state, statisticians normalize the traffic accident deaths using population size.

Fatalities per 100,000 residents allow you to compare death rates in different geographic areas with different populations. The U.S. has 11.0 car accident deaths per 100,000 residents. 

Florida has 14.8 car accident deaths per 100,000 residents. This means your odds of dying in a car crash in Florida are 34.5% higher than the national average.

Odds of Dying in a Car Crash Based on Gender

The lifetime and annual odds have been averaged across all deaths. But not everyone has the same risk of dying in a car crash.

Gender plays a significant role in your odds of dying in a car crash. Males are more likely to engage in risky behaviors like drunk driving that increase the likelihood of crashing. 

Males also experience more severe crashes because they tend to speed more frequently than females. Males use seat belts at a lower rate than females.

As a result, males make up 71% of traffic deaths, while females only account for 29%. This means a male’s risk of dying in a car crash is 2.45 times a female’s risk.

Odds of Dying in a Car Crash Based on Driver Behavior

In 2020, Florida had 349 fatal drunk driving accidents. If you drive drunk, you have a one in 12 chance of dying in a car crash.

In 2020, your odds of dying in a car accident in Florida while wearing a seat belt were one in 754. If you were not wearing a seat belt, your odds of dying in a car crash were one in 17. This means the probability of dying in a car crash is 44.5 times higher for people who do not wear seat belts.

Takeaways from the Odds of Dying in a Car Crash

While you cannot avoid every car crash, you can reduce your risk of dying in a car crash. Driving sober and wearing a seat belt will drastically improve your ability to beat the odds.

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Contact Our Car Accident Law Firm in Northwest Florida

If you need legal assistance, contact the Fort Walton Beach car accident lawyers at Brannon & Brannon Personal Injury Attorneys at your nearest location to schedule a free consultation today.

We have two convenient locations in Northwest Florida:

Brannon & Brannon Personal Injury Attorneys – Fort Walton Beach Office
975 Mar Walt Dr
Fort Walton Beach, FL 32547
(850) 863-5297

Brannon & Brannon Personal Injury Attorneys – Destin Office
4507 Furling Ln Suite 214
Destin, FL 32541
(850) 790-0243