The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) reports that 32,885 people died in motor vehicle crashes in 2010, the lowest level since record keeping began in 1949. Motor vehicle deaths in 2010 were down 2.9 percent from 33,883 in 2009, despite the fact that the number of vehicle miles traveled increased by 1.6 percent in 2010, compared with 2009. The fatality rate, measured as deaths per 100 million vehicle miles traveled, was 1.10, the lowest rate ever recorded and down from 1.15 in 2009. NHTSA property damage figures shown below are based on accidents reported to the police and do not include fender bender accidents.
MOTOR VEHICLE CRASHES, 2001-2010
| Year | Fatal | Injury | Property damage only | Total crashes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2001 | 37,862 | 2,002,710 | 4,282,391 | 6,322,963 |
| 2002 | 38,491 | 1,928,984 | 4,348,233 | 6,315,708 |
| 2003 | 38,477 | 1,924,912 | 4,364,566 | 6,327,955 |
| 2004 | 38,444 | 1,861,617 | 4,280,966 | 6,181,027 |
| 2005 | 39,252 | 1,816,105 | 4,303,993 | 6,159,350 |
| 2006 | 38,648 | 1,745,924 | 4,188,641 | 5,973,213 |
| 2007 | 37,435 | 1,711,000 | 4,275,000 | 6,024,000 |
| 2008 | 34,172 | 1,630,000 | 4,146,000 | 5,811,000 |
| 2009 | 30,862 | 1,517,000 | 3,957,000 | 5,505,000 |
| 2010 | 30,196 | 1,542,000 | 3,847,000 | 5,419,000 |
Source: U.S. Department of Transportation, National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.
TRAFFIC DEATHS, 2001-2010
| Year | Fatalities | Annual percent change | Fatality rate per 100 million vehicle miles traveled | Fatality rate per 100,000 registered vehicles |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2001 | 42,196 | 0.6% | 1.51 | 19.07 |
| 2002 | 43,005 | 1.9 | 1.51 | 19.06 |
| 2003 | 42,884 | -0.3 | 1.48 | 18.59 |
| 2004 | 42,836 | -0.1 | 1.44 | 18.00 |
| 2005 | 43,510 | 1.6 | 1.46 | 17.71 |
| 2006 | 42,708 | -1.8 | 1.42 | 16.99 |
| 2007 | 41,259 | -3.4 | 1.36 | 16.13 |
| 2008 | 37,423 | -9.3 | 1.26 | 14.53 |
| 2009 | 33,883 | -9.5 | 1.15 | 13.06 |
| 2010 | 32,885 | -2.9 | 1.10 | NA |
NA=Data not available.
Source: U.S. Department of Transportation, National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.
- The number of people injured in motor vehicle crashes rose by 1.2 percent from 2.22 million in 2009 to 2.24 million in 2010.
- The injury rate per 100 million vehicle miles traveled was 75 in both 2009 and 2010.
According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, vehicle occupants accounted for 83 percent of traffic deaths in 2010. Motorcycle riders accounted for 14 percent. Pedestrians accounted for another 13 percent; pedalcyclists and other nonoccupants accounted for the remainder.
MOTOR VEHICLE TRAFFIC DEATHS BY STATE, 2006-2007
| Number of deaths | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| State | 2006 | 2007 | Percent change |
| Alabama | 1,207 | 1,110 | -8.0% |
| Alaska | 74 | 84 | 14.0 |
| Arizona | 1,293 | 1,066 | -18.0 |
| Arkansas | 665 | 650 | -2.3 |
| California | 4,240 | 3,974 | -6.3 |
| Colorado | 535 | 554 | 3.6 |
| Connecticut | 311 | 277 | -11.0 |
| Delaware | 148 | 117 | -21.0 |
| D.C. | 37 | 44 | 19.0 |
| Florida | 3,357 | 3,214 | -4.3 |
| Georgia | 1,693 | 1,641 | -3.1 |
| Hawaii | 161 | 138 | -14.0 |
| Idaho | 267 | 252 | -5.6 |
| Illinois | 1,254 | 1,249 | -0.4 |
| Indiana | 902 | 898 | -0.4 |
| Iowa | 439 | 445 | 1.4 |
| Kansas | 468 | 416 | -11.0 |
| Kentucky | 913 | 864 | -5.4 |
| Louisiana | 987 | 985 | -0.2 |
| Maine | 188 | 183 | -2.7 |
| Maryland | 652 | 614 | -5.8 |
| Massachusetts | 429 | 417 | -2.8 |
| Michigan | 1,086 | 1,088 | 0.2 |
| Minnesota | 494 | 504 | 2.0 |
| Mississippi | 911 | 884 | -3.0 |
| Missouri | 1,096 | 992 | -9.5 |
| Montana | 264 | 277 | 4.9 |
| Nebraska | 269 | 256 | -4.8 |
| Nevada | 431 | 373 | -13.0 |
| New Hampshire | 127 | 129 | 1.6 |
| New Jersey | 771 | 724 | -6.1 |
| New Mexico | 484 | 413 | -15.0 |
| New York | 1,454 | 1,333 | -8.3 |
| North Carolina | 1,554 | 1,675 | 7.8 |
| North Dakota | 111 | 111 | 0.0 |
| Ohio | 1,238 | 1,257 | 1.5 |
| Oklahoma | 765 | 754 | -1.4 |
| Oregon | 478 | 455 | -4.8 |
| Pennsylvania | 1,525 | 1,491 | -2.2 |
| Rhode Island | 81 | 69 | -15.0 |
| South Carolina | 1,045 | 1,066 | 2.0 |
| South Dakota | 191 | 146 | -24.0 |
| Tennessee | 1,284 | 1,210 | -5.8 |
| Texas | 3,531 | 3,363 | -4.8 |
| Utah | 287 | 299 | 4.2 |
| Vermont | 87 | 66 | -24.0 |
| Virginia | 962 | 1,027 | 6.8 |
| Washington | 633 | 568 | -10.0 |
| West Virginia | 410 | 431 | 5.1 |
| Wisconsin | 724 | 756 | 4.4 |
| Wyoming | 195 | 150 | -23.0 |
| United States | 42,708 | 41,059 | -3.9% |
Source: U.S. Department of Transportation, National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.
DRIVERS IN MOTOR VEHICLE CRASHES BY AGE, 2009
| Age group | Number of licensed drivers | Percent of total | Drivers in fatal crashes | Involvement rate (1) | Drivers in all crashes | Involvement rate (1) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Under 16 | 409,526 | 0.2% | 181 | NA | 148,000 | NA |
| 16 to 20 | 12,913,024 | 6.2 | 5,051 | 39.12 | 1,325,000 | 10,261 |
| 21 to 24 | 14,053,321 | 6.7 | 4,597 | 32.71 | 1,146,000 | 8,155 |
| 25 to 34 | 36,326,817 | 17.3 | 8,610 | 23.70 | 1,908,000 | 5,252 |
| 35 to 44 | 38,158,133 | 18.2 | 7,757 | 20.33 | 1,694,000 | 4,439 |
| 45 to 54 | 41,665,892 | 19.9 | 7,664 | 18.39 | 1,603,000 | 3,847 |
| 55 to 64 | 33,156,841 | 15.8 | 5,276 | 15.91 | 994,000 | 2,998 |
| 65 to 74 | 19,124,755 | 9.1 | 2,868 | 15.00 | 480,000 | 2,510 |
| Over 74 | 13,810,077 | 6.6 | 2,550 | 18.46 | 315,000 | 2,281 |
| Total | 209,618,386 | 100.0% | 45,230 (2) | 21.58 | 9,614,000 (2) | 4,586 |
- Per 100,000 licensed drivers.
- Includes drivers of unknown age.
NA=Not applicable.
Source: U.S. Department of Transportation, National Highway Traffic Safety Administration; Federal Highway Administration.
MOTOR VEHICLE DEATHS PER 100,000 PERSONS BY AGE, 2009
Source: Insurance Institute for Highway Safety.
SEX OF DRIVERS INVOLVED IN CRASHES, 2000-2009 (1)
| Fatal crashes | Injury crashes | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Male | Female | Male | Female | |||||
| Year | Number | Rate (2) | Number | Rate (2) | Number | Rate (2) | Number | Rate (2) |
| 2000 | 41,443 | 43.27 | 14,682 | 15.48 | 2,192,408 | 2,289 | 1,572,734 | 1,659 |
| 2001 | 41,548 | 43.38 | 14,829 | 15.53 | 2,089,927 | 2,182 | 1,546,973 | 1,620 |
| 2002 | 41,995 | 43.03 | 14,876 | 15.34 | 2,000,043 | 2,049 | 1,481,476 | 1,528 |
| 2003 | 42,177 | 42.95 | 15,106 | 15.43 | 1,989,702 | 2,026 | 1,524,785 | 1,557 |
| 2004 | 41,876 | 42.06 | 15,272 | 15.38 | 1,911,852 | 1,920 | 1,482,315 | 1,493 |
| 2005 | 42,947 | 42.84 | 14,967 | 14.92 | 1,836,711 | 1,832 | 1,425,161 | 1,421 |
| 2006 | 41,912 | 41.49 | 14,661 | 14.43 | 1,762,552 | 1,745 | 1,387,324 | 1,366 |
| 2007 | 40,764 | 39.83 | 14,101 | 13.67 | 1,708,000 | 1,669 | 1,333,000 | 1,292 |
| 2008 | 36,825 | 35.60 | 12,536 | 11.99 | 1,596,000 | 1,543 | 1,276,000 | 1,221 |
| 2009 | 32,612 | 31.34 | 11,756 | 11.18 | 1,487,000 | 1,429 | 1,217,000 | 1,157 |
| Property damage-only crashes | Total crashes | |||||||
| Male | Female | Male | Female | |||||
| Year | Number | Rate (2) | Number | Rate (2) | Number | Rate (2) | Number | Rate (2) |
| 2000 | 4,558,957 | 4,760 | 2,903,579 | 3,062 | 6,792,808 | 7,092 | 4,490,995 | 4,737 |
| 2001 | 4,517,730 | 4,717 | 2,903,319 | 3,041 | 6,649,205 | 6,942 | 4,465,121 | 4,677 |
| 2002 | 4,436,198 | 4,545 | 2,999,111 | 3,093 | 6,478,236 | 6,638 | 4,495,463 | 4,636 |
| 2003 | 4,527,515 | 4,610 | 3,019,961 | 3,084 | 6,559,394 | 6,679 | 4,559,852 | 4,657 |
| 2004 | 4,404,779 | 4,424 | 3,037,126 | 3,058 | 6,358,507 | 6,387 | 4,534,713 | 4,566 |
| 2005 | 4,357,188 | 4,347 | 3,007,038 | 2,998 | 6,236,846 | 6,222 | 4,447,166 | 4,435 |
| 2006 | 4,232,184 | 4,190 | 2,967,964 | 2,922 | 6,036,648 | 5,976 | 4,369,949 | 4,302 |
| 2007 | 4,329,000 | 4,230 | 3,058,000 | 2,964 | 6,077,764 | 5,939 | 4,405,101 | 4,270 |
| 2008 | 4,115,000 | 3,978 | 2,940,000 | 2,812 | 5,747,825 | 5,556 | 4,228,536 | 4,045 |
| 2009 | 3,839,000 | 3,689 | 2,879,000 | 2,738 | 5,358,612 | 5,150 | 4,107,756 | 3,906 |
- Drivers age 16 and over, including motorcycle riders and restricted and graduated drivers license holders in some states.
- Rate per 100,000 licensed drivers.
Source: U.S. Department of Transportation, National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.
DRIVING BEHAVIORS REPORTED FOR DRIVERS AND MOTORCYCLE OPERATORS INVOLVED IN FATAL CRASHES, 2009
| Behavior | Number | Percent |
|---|---|---|
| Driving too fast for conditions or in excess of posted speed limit | 9,654 | 21.3% |
| Failure to keep in proper lane or running off road | 7,696 | 17.0 |
| Under the influence of alcohol, drugs or medication | 6,957 | 15.4 |
| Inattentive (talking, eating, etc.) | 4,196 | 9.3 |
| Failure to yield right of way | 3,067 | 6.8 |
| Overcorrecting/oversteering | 2,062 | 4.6 |
| Failure to obey traffic signs, signals or officer | 1,922 | 4.2 |
| Swerving or avoiding due to wind, slippery surface, other vehicle, object, nonmotorist on roadway, etc. |
1,801 | 4.0 |
| Driving wrong way in one-way traffic or on wrong side of road | 1,382 | 3.1 |
| Operating vehicle in erratic, reckless, careless or negligent manner | 1,347 | 3.0 |
| Vision obscured (rain, snow, glare, lights, buildings, trees, etc.) | 1,205 | 2.7 |
| Drowsy, asleep, fatigued, ill, or blacked out | 1,202 | 2.7 |
| Making improper turn | 1,168 | 2.6 |
| Other factors | 7,602 | 16.8 |
| None reported | 15,795 | 34.9 |
| Unknown | 1,009 | 2.2 |
| Total drivers (1) | 45,230 | 100.0% |
- The sum of the numbers and percentages is greater than total drivers as more than one factor may be present for the same driver.
Source: U.S. Department of Transportation, National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.
CRASHES BY FIRST HARMFUL EVENT, TYPE OF COLLISION AND CRASH SEVERITY, 2009
| Crash severity | ||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Fatal | Injury | Property damage only | Total crashes | |||||
| Type of collision | Number | Percent of total fatal crashes | Number | Percent of total injury crashes | Number | Percent of total property damage only crashes | Number | Percent of total crashes |
| Collision with moving motor vehicle | ||||||||
| Angle | 5,637 | 18.3% | 448,000 | 29.5% | 965,000 | 24.4% | 1,418,000 | 25.8% |
| Rear end | 1,674 | 5.4 | 448,000 | 29.5 | 1,283,000 | 32.4 | 1,733,000 | 31.5 |
| Sideswipe | 757 | 2.5 | 58,000 | 3.8 | 367,000 | 9.3 | 426,000 | 7.7 |
| Head on | 3,007 | 9.8 | 60,000 | 4.0 | 63,000 | 1.6 | 126,000 | 2.3 |
| Other/unknown | 115 | 0.4 | 2,000 | 0.1 | 15,000 | 0.4 | 17,000 | 0.3 |
| Total | 11,190 | 36.3 | 1,016,000 | 66.9 | 2,693,000 | 68.1 | 3,720,000 | 67.6 |
| Collision with fixed object | ||||||||
| Pole/post | 1,557 | 5.1 | 55,000 | 3.6 | 141,000 | 3.6 | 198,000 | 3.6 |
| Culvert/curb/ditch | 2,488 | 8.1 | 56,000 | 3.7 | 116,000 | 2.9 | 175,000 | 3.2 |
| Shrubbery/tree | 2,697 | 8.8 | 45,000 | 3.0 | 61,000 | 1.5 | 109,000 | 2.0 |
| Guard rail | 900 | 2.9 | 27,000 | 1.8 | 72,000 | 1.8 | 100,000 | 1.8 |
| Embankment | 1,018 | 3.3 | 21,000 | 1.4 | 30,000 | 0.8 | 52,000 | 0.9 |
| Bridge | 224 | 0.7 | 5,000 | 0.4 | 8,000 | 0.2 | 14,000 | 0.2 |
| Other/unknown | 1,671 | 5.4 | 60,000 | 3.9 | 166,000 | 4.2 | 227,000 | 4.1 |
| Total | 10,555 | 34.3 | 270,000 | 17.8 | 594,000 | 15.0 | 875,000 | 15.9 |
| Collision with object, not fixed | ||||||||
| Parked motor vehicle | 335 | 1.1 | 28,000 | 1.8 | 311,000 | 7.9 | 339,000 | 6.2 |
| Animal | 173 | 0.6 | 12,000 | 0.8 | 260,000 | 6.6 | 272,000 | 4.9 |
| Pedestrian | 3,803 | 12.3 | 53,000 | 3.5 | 1,000 | (1) | 57,000 | 1.0 |
| Pedalcyclist | 626 | 2.0 | 49,000 | 3.3 | 3,000 | 0.1 | 53,000 | 1.0 |
| Train | 122 | 0.4 | (2) | (1) | (2) | (1) | 1,000 | (1) |
| Other/unknown | 298 | 1.0 | 7,000 | 0.4 | 30,000 | 0.8 | 37,000 | 0.7 |
| Total | 5,357 | 17.4 | 148,000 | 9.8 | 605,000 | 15.3 | 759,000 | 13.8 |
| Noncollision | ||||||||
| Rollover | 3,282 | 10.7 | 77,000 | 5.1 | 38,000 | 1.0 | 119,000 | 2.2 |
| Other/unknown | 384 | 1.2 | 6,000 | 0.4 | 26,000 | 0.7 | 33,000 | 0.6 |
| Total | 3,666 | 11.9 | 83,000 | 5.5 | 64,000 | 1.6 | 151,000 | 2.8 |
| Total | 30,797 (3) | 100.0% | 1,517,000 | 100.0% | 3,957,000 | 100.0% | 5,505,000 | 100.0% |
- Less than 0.05 percent.
- Less than 500 crashes.
- Includes 29 crashes with unknown first harmful event.
Source: U.S. Department of Transportation, National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.
DISTRACTED DRIVING
Activities that take drivers’ attention off the road, such as talking or texting on cellphones, eating, conversing with passengers and other distractions, are a major safety threat. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) has revised the way it measures distracted driving, introducing a new measure called “distraction-affected crashes.” This refinement focuses more narrowly on crashes in which a driver was most likely to have been distracted. The old measure recorded a broad range of potential distractions such as careless driving or a cell phone present in the vehicle. The new measure focuses on distractions that are most likely to affect crash involvement such as distraction by dialing a cellphone or texting and distraction by an outside person or event. NHTSA said there were 3,092 fatalities in “distraction-affected” crashes in 2010. In 2009 NHTSA said there were 5,474 “distraction-related” fatalities. The two measures are distinct and cannot be compared. Another annual survey by NHTSA found that the percentage of all drivers using hand-held cellphones was 5 percent in both 2009 and 2010.
However, texting bans may not reduce crash rates, according to a Highway Loss Data Institute study of collision claims patterns in California, Louisiana, Minnesota and Washington before and after texting bans went into effect. Collisions went up slightly in all the states, except Washington, where the change was statistically insignificant.
Teen girls are twice as likely as teen boys to use cell phones and other electronic devices while driving, according to a March, 2012 study by the AAA Foundation for Traffic Safety.
FATAL CRASHES INVOLVING DRIVER DISTRACTIONS, 2005-2009
| Total | Involving driver distractions | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Fatal crashes | Drivers | Fatalities | Fatal crashes | Drivers | Fatalities | |
| 2005 | 39,252 | 59,220 | 43,510 | 4,026 | 4,217 | 4,472 |
| 2006 | 38,648 | 57,846 | 42,708 | 5,245 | 5,455 | 5,836 |
| 2007 | 37,435 | 56,019 | 41,259 | 5,329 | 5,552 | 5,917 |
| 2008 | 34,172 | 50,416 | 37,423 | 5,307 | 5,477 | 5,838 |
| 2009 | 30,797 | 45,230 | 33,808 | 4,898 | 5,084 | 5,474 |
Source: U.S. Department of Transportation, National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.
- The percentage of people killed in fatal crashes that involved driver distractions rose from 10 percent in 2005
Source: http://www.iii.org