North Carolina has two laws which may especially demonstrate the state's commitment to reducing motor vehicle crashes. One law, currently under scrutiny, requires safety inspections for cars 35 years or newer, in order to ensure that they perform safely on the road. The other statute, known as the Fender Bender law, newly mandates how uninjured drivers involved in car accidents should handle themselves and their vehicles, to lessen the chance of causing additional collisions. The effectiveness of both laws is still being assessed.
Crashes in North Carolina
According to the North Carolina Highway Patrol, 968 fatalities resulted from the 1,424 motor vehicle accidents which occurred on roads in the state during 2010. The number of crashes increased by three percent in 2010 from the 1,381 logged during the previous year, but the occupant deaths decreased slightly from the 969 reported in 2009. Most of the fatal crashes involved motor vehicles, but many also included collisions with motorcycles, bicycles and pedestrians. Both new and existing traffic laws aim to reduce these crashes and deaths in North Carolina.
State of Safety Inspections
The current safety inspection program in North Carolina mandates that owners of most motor vehicles fewer than 35 years old submit to and successfully pass a set of safety checks each year. In some counties, this also includes passage of an emissions test. North Carolina is one of only a few states to direct such a program, which carries an annual price tag of $86 million. Additionally, the program's effectiveness has yet to be proven, as a study performed in 2008 by the Program Evaluation Division claimed it identified difficulties in enforcing proper inspections and the correlation between the safety inspections and its impact on reducing traffic accidents was lacking.
Fender Bender Law
The recently enacted Fender Bender law directs any drivers involved in minor car accidents to move their vehicles out of the way of moving vehicles, as swiftly as possible if no occupants were injured during the accident. The goal of this law is to reduce traffic accidents, specifically those collisions which occur following initial crashes and often involve nearby cars or gawking rubberneckers. To remind people about what to do following a minor fender bender, state officials are posting signs on many major roads around North Carolina.
Focus on Accident Reduction
While the focus of both of these North Carolina traffic statutes is to reduce the number of accidents that occur in the state, as well as the number of people who are injured or killed each year, it is difficult to ascertain how effective these measures are on the roads. Motorists in North Carolina should be aware of these laws, however, and follow them as part of an overall effort to encourage safer driving for all who travel the state's highways and byways.
If you have been involved in a car accident, whether a minor fender bender or major crash, contact a North Carolina personal injury attorney right away to go over the details of your case.
