U.S is # 1 (Not Good News)

In last Tuesday's Star Tribune was a discouraging article concerning a significant increase in traffic deaths in the United States. The United States now leads the world in this category. 29 nations were studied and only five of the 29 saw an increase in traffic deaths between 2010 and 2016, with the US having the highest rate of increase at 13.5%. Sadly, the United States also saw the highest jump in pedestrian deaths during that same timeframe, a 39.2% increase. By contrast, Norway saw a 37.5% decrease in pedestrian deaths during that same timeframe. The authors of the study concluded that the increase appears to be tied to 2 main factors, more cars on the road because of a better economy AND DISTRACTED DRIVING. Another dismal statistic in this report is that the United States has one of the highest rates of road deaths per capita, with 11.6 out of 100,000 people losing their lives to motor vehicle crashes, compared with rates of two or five deaths per 100,000 in countries such as the United Kingdom, Israel, Japan, Germany, Spain and Australia.

When jurors in Minnesota here personal injury cases arising out of car crashes they need to understand that they are the law. Not the lawyers or the judge, them. They need to enforce the law so as to deter similar conduct in the future. That means fairly compensating the injured.