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Car Accident Statistics in Anchorage and Across Alaska

Law Office of Jason Skala April 12, 2022

Operating a motor vehicle on the roads in Anchorage and across Alaska is not always simple. The climate in Alaska makes for tricky conditions on the roads, especially in the harsh winters and at other various times during the year. Car accidents can happen for a number of different reasons, some more common than others. Read on to learn about the most recently compiled statistics concerning car accidents in Anchorage and the rest of Alaska, as well as some of the more prevalent and dangerous causes for car accidents in the Last Frontier.

Speeding in Alaska

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration states that in the year 2016, there were approximately 84 people who lost their lives due to car accidents in Anchorage and throughout Alaska. Approximately 36 of those people, or about 42% of them, were killed due to a speeding driver. This means that speeding is the most common reason for car accidents in Alaska to occur. Speeding is also one of the most dangerous forms of driver negligence in Alaska and the rest of the United States.

Speeding-related deaths took place most often on the weekend, specifically Saturday. The month of the year where the most speeding-related deaths took place was June, with October and August closely following.

Additionally, Alaskan fatalities related to speeding generally occurred in the late evening and early morning hours of the day, usually between the hours of 8:00 p.m. and 9:00 a.m.

Drunk Driving in Alaska

The second most common cause of traffic accidents in Anchorage and throughout Alaska to occur is intoxication. Alcohol and/or drug-impaired drivers caused approximately 36% of all of the traffic fatalities that occurred in Alaska in 2018. Roughly 80 people lost their lives due to intoxicated driving or drivers in 2018 in the Last Frontier. A total of 29 of them were killed due to drunk or drugged driving.

Similar to speeding-related fatalities, alcohol-impaired driving took its toll most often in the nighttime hours in 2018, from approximately 9:00 p.m. to 3:00 a.m. Traffic accidents caused by alcohol impairment were most common in Anchorage, with 21 fatalities taking place in the state’s largest city. The city that had the next highest rate of alcohol-related traffic fatalities was Matanuska-Susitna, with a total of 13.

Preventable Accidents, Preventable Fatalities

One of the most concerning aspects of both of these causes of traffic accidents in Alaska is that they are preventable, and forms of driver negligence. Drivinglaws.org states that reckless and negligent driving are both crimes punishable by fines or jail time in Alaska. Based on the information provided above, a whopping 78% of the traffic fatalities that have occurred in recent years in the Last Frontier were the result of either driving drunk or speeding. This is comparable to the national average of approximately 94% of all traffic accidents in the United States being the result of negligent driving.

Choosing to be alert, aware, awake, and mindful while driving is the only way to ensure that yours and the lives of those around you are protected and preserved to the best of your ability.

In the event that you or someone you love has sustained injuries in a car accident in Anchorage that was the result of another driver’s reckless or negligent actions, contacting an Anchorage personal injury lawyer is your best bet in order to receive full and fair financial compensation for the injuries and losses you may have had to endure due to your accident.

Call our law firm today in order to speak with a reputable car accident attorney in Anchorage, Jason Skala, who has been serving the Alaskan community for over a decade. The Law Office of Jason Skala has dealt with a wide array of personal injury claims and is highly experienced in working with injured car accident victims and their families. Jason Skala is passionate about providing those who have been wrongly injured by other people’s carelessness with the financial compensation they deserve. Call our law firm today.