Deadly crashes more than double in DC

Washington, D.C. has seen the largest, the nation's largest increase in fatal traffic crashes in major U.S. cities. That's according to a LendingTree study. Deadly crashes in the district more than doubled between 2019 and 2024. In fact, researchers say speed is a major factor with road design and emergency response times also playing a role in survival after serious collisions. I'm joined now by personal injury lawyer Stephen Vinnick. Thank you so much for being with us. Yeah, thank you, Tisha. Let's get started. So Stephen, what factors are contributing to these deadly crashes and what concerns you the most about this trend? So I think there are a few things that are contributing to it. The first is since the pandemic, and that's the time period we're really looking at, it's really changed how people drive. When the pandemic was going on, there were much fewer people on the road, fewer drivers, and they started to drive more aggressively, they would speed. And when traffic came back, many of those habits stayed. The other thing is that in D.C. especially, it's a very dense city. You've got many people walking, you've got many people driving, biking, riding scooters, and sharing the road with everybody, particularly with larger and heavier vehicles. It means a crash is likely to be more fatal. And the last thing is the cell phones. Distracted driving has increased these crashes and these fatalities more than anything else. So we all know if you're in a crash, you've got to exchange names, you have to exchange insurance information, phone number, email address. But what are really the most important additional steps people should take immediately at the scene of an accident to protect their safety and also their legal rights? So at my law firm, Stein Sperling, we have a very large personal injury department. And what we tell our clients is this, is when you get into an accident and take out your phone and take pictures or a video of the property damage and where the cars are, because the photographs will oftentimes speak volumes in terms of how the accident occurred, who was at fault, obviously exchange information. If you are not getting a good feeling about the other driver, call the police. If you think that you were injured, call 911, call the police, call for an EMT. But the most important thing is to make sure that, especially if you are not at fault, that you are doing something to hold the other person accountable. And that's by taking the photographs or taking the video and getting the information. And you have certain legal rights in D.C., Maryland, Virginia. They all have their own different unique laws. I think it's best for people to contact an attorney so that they can find out about what kind of rights that they do have, what kind of payments that they can get for compensation, how they can make a claim against another person. And ultimately, I believe that holding people civilly liable really is the best way to try to change these statistics to get people to have better driving habits and hopefully less fatalities. Who's most at risk on the roadway today? I think we're all at risk, but the younger drivers have a sort of a deadly combination. I hate to use that phrase, but what it is is that they have less experience behind the wheel and they are more likely than not to be distracted, particularly with the phones. A lot of people are using TikTok or Instagram to actually film themselves driving and doing other things. And anything, as you know, that takes your eyes off the road, even for the slightest, slightest second, can result in a catastrophe. And so I believe that the younger drivers are really more at risk than anybody else. That's the Generation Z drivers, I think, have the highest accident rate of any generation. And all it takes is a second. What behaviors contribute to serious and fatal collisions? You mentioned recording while you're driving, which sounds beyond alarming. Speed is probably the worst thing. Everybody speeds. Even when you get a sign that says that it's photo enforced and the speed limit is 45 miles per hour, people still speed because they know they can go up to 10 miles an hour higher than that and they won't get photographed. And people know that. I think speed has become just a very deadly factor in creating and causing these car accidents. The fact that we have a very big population and we're congested is also a factor that really needs to be looked at. And finally, again, it's the phones and the distraction and the inexperience. We are so constantly barraged and besieged by so many different things that take our attention away. And, again, it just takes a split second to lose your attention or have it diverted, and then a horrible accident occurs. And I think that's really what's more than anything driving it is the speed and the distraction. Thank you so much for your insight. Personal injury lawyer Stephen Vinnick, good information to know. We appreciate it. Thank you, Tisha. Have a nice evening. You too. Turning to the weather now. A nice evening.