Michigan Most Fatal Type of Accident Killed 603 People in 1 Year

Recently the John Fitch Law Firm crunched numbers provided by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration to determine which type of traffic accidents in Michigan were the most fatal. Surprisingly, the crash that led to the most deaths involved only a single vehicle in motion.

Related: These Are Michigan's 9 Most Dangerous Roundabouts

The longer you have to absorb that statement the more it starts to make sense. Think about it, when two vehicles collide, each one (should) have several different safety elements surrounding the driver and passengers. Whether it be seatbelts, airbags, crumble zones, or reinforced frames, there is a measure of environmental protection provided.

A spokesperson for the John Fitch Law Firm explains:

More fatal crashes involve other victims or objects such as pedestrians, cyclists, park vehicles, animals, road objects etc. Pedestrians are the most vuneralbe group of road users, accounting for a significant share of deaths from fatal road crashes

In Michigan, 603 deaths resulted from crashes that 'didn't involve a collision with a motor vehicle in transport'.

The 2nd most fatal type of accident in the Mitten State is referred to as 'angled' collisions. According to the Michigan State Police Traffic Crash Report manual, an accident is deemed to be angled:

...when the direction of travel is basically perpendicular for both drivers and there is a side impact of approximately 90 degrees. An angle crash is a more direct impact and may stop the forward movement of one vehicle

Angle crashes accounted for 267 fatal accidents over the course of a years time.

The 3rd most deadly crash type in the state is the 'front to front' or head-on collision, which accounted for 104 fatal car accidents from 2020 to 2021.

Related: Michigan Fatalities: This Vehicle Brand Has the Most Accidents

Unsurprisingly, the most common cause for fatal accidents of any kind, in particular vehicle vs. pedestrian accidents, is that one party is distracted. More time than not it's the driver who isn't paying attention to the road, perhaps on their cell phone, and strikes someone walking across the roadway.