Frugal News: Frugal Driving May Save Your Life
Statistically, this is not a hard one to comprehend: the less you drive, the less likely you are to be involved in a life-threatening automobile accident. Now take that concept and multiple it by a nation full of people facing sky-high gas prices during the peak of summer travel. The result is a significant drop in traffic-related deaths in 2008.
USA Today reported 40 states and DC saw a reduction in traffic deaths during 2008, mostly as a result of the rising gas prices and economic turmoil. It has been reported that many Americans changed their driving habits to decrease their gasoline consumption, and even though gas prices have since dropped and appear to be stable (for the time being), most people are sticking to their new style of driving.
Economic driving consists of habits such as gradual exceration, reducing speed, and regular car maintenance to improve milage. All of those things also increase safety and attentiveness, leading to fewer accidents. Also factor in that people are driving less often and for shorter distances, thus causing a decline in motor vehicle accidents and accident-related deaths.
High gas prices also lead more people to purchase and drive motorcycles last year, so one question yet to be answered is if there was a corresponding increase in motorcycle-related accidents and deaths. The articles I have reviewed did not address this issue.