The National Safety Council is reporting more accidents occurred during the first 8 months of this year than during the same period last year. It's a trend that is of particular concern to safety advocates given that the last three months of the year are typically the deadliest on the nation's roads.
A total of 21,560 people were killed through August this year, up 7 percent from last year and 5 percent from 2010. Georgia traffic accidents claimed 761 lives through August this year, compared to the 722 motorists who were killed last year. 
Atlanta personal injury attorneys understand an increase in the number of serious and fatal accidents has been expected as the economy continues to recover. More people working means more motorists commuting. And more families on weekend getaways or hard-earned vacations.
But the end of the year is a particularly tragic time for traffic accidents for a number of reasons. Understanding the risks, and discussing them with family, friends and loved ones, can go a long way toward keeping you safe during what should be the most joyous time of the year.
Teen Driving: The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration was among the organizations that opened October with a push to get teens and parents to better communicate about the importance of safe driving habits. Teens are more likely to die in a car accident than by any other means. Nearly 2,000 teenagers were killed and nearly 200,000 were seriously injured in traffic accidents in 2010. "Immaturity, inexperience, and a penchant for risk-taking are the major reasons for high crash and fatality rates among teen drivers," said NHTSA Administrator David Strickland. "In addition to comprehensive state graduated driver licensing systems and strong bans on teen cell phone use and texting while driving, parents who are involved throughout the learning-to-drive process are vital in creating safe and prepared young drivers."
Pedestrian & Bicycle Accidents: School is in session and the end to Daylight Savings Time is upon us. Making the afternoon commute at dusk increases accidents risks for everyone, but these risks are particularly acute for bicyclists and pedestrians.
Distractions: In recent months, safety advocates have grown nearly as concerned about walkers as they are about distracted drivers. Everyone needs to put the smartphones down and concentrate on getting where they are going in as safe a manner as possible.
Drunk Driving: From the beginning of football season, through the year-end holidays, the risk for drunk driving accidents is at its peak. Nationwide, more than 10,000 people are killed in an accident with a drunk driver. That's one death every hour -- making drunk driving a cause of one-third of the nation's fatal accidents.
Few of these accidents are truly accidents. By sticking to safety basics you can help ensure you and your family avoids a tragedy this holiday season.
If you've been injured, call the Law Offices of Gary Martin Hays & Associates. Call 1-800-898-HAYS for a free consultation.