Safe Driving in Phoenix and Maricopa County
Are you driving in Phoenix? Then you will want extra protection to stay safe.
Be Careful Driving in Phoenix
If you live in Maricopa County, AZ and drive a car, then you want to pay special attention. In 2018, 490 people died as a result of vehicle crashes in the county. That number is a 33% increase since 2014.
Could this increase be due to more people living here? Between 2014 and 2018, the population in Maricopa County increased from about 4.1 million to 4.4 million. That’s a 7% increase. That means a lot more people are driving in Phoenix.
The county’s motor vehicle-related fatalities increased more than 4 times the rate of population growth in the past 5 years: 33% compared to 7%.
We gathered some data to help keep you and your family safe. We want to help you make more informed decisions and ensure you are safely driving in Phoenix and Maricopa County.
There were twice as many fatalities in cars than pickups, sport utility vehicles and vans in the county.
Your Safety Depends on What You Drive
At The Auto Professor, we have long recognized that occupants in cars are at greater risk than occupants of larger vehicles. Based on over 30 years of experience in analyzing data, we have found that very few passenger cars provide the safety that you and your family need.
Your Safety Also Depends on Who You Are
Sometimes a sedan will be safer for younger drivers, as we saw when we compared the Toyota Camry and Honda Accord. These two sedans are not particularly good for older drivers. As we age, our bodies become more fragile. This makes it difficult to withstand severe crashes without a lot of protection, as you can read in Older Drivers: Getting Educated.
For those drivers who do not want a very large vehicle, the compact sport utility vehicle may be a good option. It is typically built on a car frame, rather than a pickup frame. It offers more protection and is more comfortable.
More than 30% of all fatalities in Maricopa County occurred at or near an intersection.
The most common type of crash at an intersection is a T-bone impact in which the front of one vehicle hits the side of the other, broadside. When a driver is hit on their side, there is very little protection. Unfortunately, the seat belt and side air bag seldom keep you safe in these violent crashes.
If you are driving a car and are hit broadside by a pickup truck (or SUV), the outcome can be very tragic. If there is a fatality in the crash, the odds are stacked against you.
The chances are 22 to 1 that you will not walk away from that crash, but the driver of the pickup will.
At The Auto Professor, we have created the only real safety rating system, Auto Grades, based on these types of crash statistics. Other safety rating systems only use laboratory tests and restrict their ranking within a specific class of vehicle and size. Watch our video and find out why a compact car Smart ForTwo and a full-size sport utility vehicle Chevy Tahoe can both get a 4-star safety rating.
We think that you deserve to know more. We invite you to find the Auto Grade. It is all free and the life of a loved one may depend upon it.
