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U.S. Department of Transportation U.S. Department of Transportation Icon United States Department of Transportation United States Department of Transportation

Table 2-17: Motor Vehicle Safety Data

Wednesday, November 21, 2012

Table 2-17: Motor Vehicle Safety Data

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  1960 1965 1970 1975 1980 1985 1990 1995 1996 1997 1998 1999 2000 2001
Fatalities 36,399 47,089 52,627 44,525 51,091 43,825 44,599 41,817 42,065 42,013 41,501 41,717 R41,945 42,116
Injured personsE N N N N N N 3,230,666 3,465,279 3,483,319 3,347,614 3,192,035 3,236,238 3,188,750 3,032,672
CrashesE N N N N N N 6,471,202 6,699,415 6,769,583 6,624,149 6,334,573 6,279,036 6,393,624 6,322,896
Vehicle-miles (millions) 718,763 887,811 1,109,724 1,327,664 1,527,295 1,774,827 2,144,362 2,422,696 2,485,848 2,561,695 2,631,522 2,691,056 2,749,803 U
Rates per 100 million vehicle-miles                            
Fatalities 5.1 5.3 4.7 3.4 3.3 2.5 2.1 1.7 1.7 1.6 1.6 1.6 1.5 U
Injured personsE N N N N N N 151 143 140 131 121 120 116 U
CrashesE N N N N N N 302 277 272 259 241 233 233 U

KEY: E = estimated; N = data do not exist; R = revised.

SOURCES

Fatalities:

1960-70: Estimated by U.S. Department of Transportation, National Highway Traffic Safety Administration from data supplied by U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, National Center for Health Statistics, and individual state accident reports (adjusted to 30-day deaths). Fatalities data prior to 1975 have been adjusted to reflect the Fatality Analysis Reporting System's definition of a fatal crash as one that involves a motor vehicle on a trafficway, which results in the death of a vehicle occupant or a nonmotorist within 30 days of the crash.

1975-2001: U.S. Department of Transportation, National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, National Center for Statistics and Analysis, Traffic Safety Facts 2001, DOT HS 809 484 (Washington, DC: December 2002), table 2.

Injured persons:

1990-2001: Ibid., Traffic Safety Facts 2001, DOT HS 809 484 (Washington, DC: December 2002), table 2 and personal communication, Sept. 10, 2002.

Crashes:

1990-2001: Ibid., Traffic Safety Facts 2001, DOT HS 809 484 (Washington, DC: December 2002), table 1 and personal communication, Sept. 10, 2002.

Vehicle-miles:

1960-65: U.S. Department of Transportation, Federal Highway Administration, Highway Statistics Summary to 1995, FHWA-PL-97-009 (Washington, DC: July 1997), table VM-201A.

1975-2001: U.S. Department of Transportation, National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, National Center for Statistics and Analysis, Traffic Safety Facts 2001, DOT HS 809 484 (Washington, DC: December 2001), table 2 and personal communication, Sept. 10, 2002.

Fatality and injury rates:

1960-65: Calculated by U.S. Department of Transportation, Bureau of Transportation Statistics.

1970-2001: U.S. Department of Transportation, National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, National Center for Statistics and Analysis, Traffic Safety Facts 2001, DOT HS 809 484 (Washington, DC: December 2002), table 2 and personal communication, Sept. 10, 2002.

Crash rates:

Calculated by U.S. Department of Transportation, Bureau of Transportation Statistics.