U.S. Census Bureau Daily Feature for May 28

WASHINGTON -- May 28, 2015: Following is the daily "Profile America" feature from the U.S. Census Bureau:

FIRST AUTO COLLISION

Profile America — Thursday, May 28th. The first recorded automobile accident involving two vehicles occurred on this date in 1896 in New York City. Henry Wells of Springfield, Massachusetts was driving a new Duryea Motor Wagon, the first automobile model to be made and sold in the U.S. Unfortunately, he collided with Evelyn Thomas of New York, riding a bicycle. Thomas went to the hospital with a broken leg, and Wells spent the night in jail. Now, there are close to 5.7 million motor vehicle accidents reported to police per year, with around 30,000 of them fatal crashes. Atop this toll, over 700 pedalcyclists are killed by motor vehicles on the roads. There are nearly 32,000 insurance carriers in the U.S., with auto insurance premiums adding to the industry's $1.7 trillion of annual business done. Profile America is beginning its 19th year as a public service of the U.S. Census Bureau.

Sources: Duryea Motor Wagon: Duryea Motor Wagon: Accident: Bicycle Collison Fatal crashes: State-By State Overview Accidents and cyclist deaths: Statistics Insurance carriers & receipts: Insurance Costs