You may have heard that most serious accidents take place relatively close to the injured person’s home. This fact is often stated to combat the idea that drivers on unfamiliar roads are going to crash more often. But is it really true?
In the big picture, it is. When you look at all types of accidents — including things like falls or cycling accidents — most of them do happen within 10 miles of a person’s house. The statistics put it at 88%.
But that’s looking at all accident types, so it makes sense that people would be home more often, as that’s where they spend most of their time. Young children, in particular, may be within 10 miles of home for the vast majority of every day.
If you look only at motor vehicle crashes, the percentage is a bit lower. Only 77% of these car crashes happen within 10 miles of the injured person’s home. This report does use hospital data, so injuries had to be severe enough to warrant a visit. They also included those who passed away. Minor accidents are out.
Even though the rate did drop a bit, though, it is clear that the majority of these crashes are still close to home. These are the areas where people spend the most time in the car, so the odds of getting into an accident are higher than they would be anywhere else.
If you get involved in an accident and you suffer catastrophic injuries, be sure you know how to seek out compensation from the driver who was responsible for the accident.