The number of passenger transportation fatalities has declined in recent decades. Compared to 1990, there were about 12,500 fewer fatalities in 2013—94.5 percent of this reduction is attributable to highway travel. Highway safety enhancements, which include human factors, roadway design and maintenance, and advanced safety technologies, have contributed significantly to this decline.

Fatalities

Between 1990 and 2013, the highway fatality rate, measured by deaths per 100 million vehicle-miles of travel, declined 47.4 percent. The number of passenger car and light-truck occupant fatalities fell 48.8 percent during this period. Measuring by fatalities per capita, the nonoccupant fatality rate declined 40.1 percent. During this same period, the general aviation fatality rate, measured by fatalities per 100,000 flight hours, decreased by 31.4 percent, while the fatality rate for air carriers remained stable and low. Between 1997 and 2013, the passenger rail fatality rate, measured by deaths per million train-miles, decreased by 38.9 percent.

Highway fatalities in 2013 were concentrated along the major corridors in the highly populated areas of California, Florida, Illinois, Texas, and throughout the populous Northeast region from New England, near Boston, MA, down to the Middle Atlantic region, near Washington, DC. In addition, fatalities were also highly concentrated along major highway corridors and around urban areas in the South Atlantic region.

As in 1990, the number of males killed on U.S. highways exceeded the number of female fatalities for most age groups in 2013. Overall, males comprised 69.3 percent of highway fatalities in 1990 and 70.7 percent in 2013. Persons under the age of 30 continued to have the highest fatality numbers in 2013, although deaths for that age group have declined significantly. The number of highway fatalities for males in their mid-40s to late 60s (i.e., today’s Baby Boomers¹) was higher in 2013 than it was for the men who were in the same age group in 1990. Compared to their 1990 cohorts, the 2013 Baby Boomers comprised a larger share of the population and drove more miles—factors that likely contributed to the higher number of fatalities.

Since 1990 there has been a considerable decrease in highway fatalities per capita across all age groups for both genders. The greatest numbers of fatalities per capita in both 2013 and 1990 were among males under the age of 30 and over the age of 80. Female fatalities per capita in both 2013 and 1990 peaked for those under the age of 27 and also for those over the age of 80. The 1990 rates were again higher.

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration estimates that 9.9 percent of highway fatalities in 2012 involved drivers who were distracted by such activities as using a cell phone, texting, eating or drinking, using navigation systems or a map, or grooming themselves. As of March 2015, 45 states and the District of Columbia had laws banning texting while driving, and 14 states and the District of Columbia prohibit driver use of handheld cell phones.

In 2014 the greatest concentrations of boating fatalities occurred in the Atlantic, Gulf, and Pacific coast states, predominately those east of the Mississippi River or along the Pacific coast. The fatality rate was 5.2 deaths per 100,000 registered recreational vessels, a 10.6 percent increase from the previous year.

Fatal general aviation accidents were widely dispersed across the country in 2014. Nearly two-thirds of fatal general aviation accidents resulted in a single fatality, another quarter resulted in two fatalities, and the remainder yielded multiple fatalities.

Injuries

Compared to 1990, there were 28.1 percent fewer passenger transportation injuries in 2013. As for fatalities, the majority of passenger transportation injuries are highway-related, accounting for 99.9 percent of all injuries in 2013. Much of the decrease in highway-related injuries occurred between 2000 and 2010, when the number of injuries declined 27.5 percent. Injuries among passenger-car occupants were down 45.5 percent from 1990 to 2013 but up 3.4 percent from 2010 to 2013.

The 2013 total highway injury rate was about half the 1990 rate. Injuries for passenger car and light-truck occupants were down 43.8 percent during this period. Measuring by injuries per capita, highway nonoccupant injuries per capita declined 47.1 percent. The air carrier injury rate remained low and stable. While the general aviation injury rate decreased by 27.9 percent over this same period, it remained 10 times higher than that of air carriers. Between 1997 and 2013, the passenger rail injury rate, measured by deaths per million train-miles, decreased by 14.4 percent.

Passenger Travel and Energy

In 2013 transportation used about 26 quadrillion Btu’s of energy, making it the second largest sector for fuel and electricity consumption. Highway use continues to dominate transportation fuel consumption, accounting for 83.2 percent of total energy use. Light-duty vehicles (consisting of passenger cars, light trucks, vans, and sport utility vehicles) accounted for the largest share of energy use at 59.2 percent.

Light-duty highway vehicles used about 2.2 billion fewer gallons of gasoline in 2013 than in 2000. General aviation gasoline showed the largest percent decrease in fuel consumption from 2000 to 2013, a decrease of 39.2 percent. Additionally, certificated air carriers also experienced a decrease, consuming about 2.1 billion fewer gallons of jet fuel in 2013 than in 2000, a 15.0 percent drop. These trends suggest that technological advances and the implementation of stricter CAFE² standards have contributed to increased fuel efficiency.

However, some transportation modes, such as transit, have showed increases in energy consumption.  Likely, this is attributed to several factors, such as increases in transit use as well as additional vehicles and extended transit facilities, routes, and services as shown in table 3-9 in chapter 3.

The energy intensities of passenger modes, or the energy used per passenger-mile, generally have declined over time except for those of privately owned vehicles. Transit motor buses typically use the most energy per passenger-mile (although this can vary), followed by certificated air carriers and rail transit modes, such as commuter rail, Amtrak, street car, and light rail.

The average fuel efficiency of the total U.S. passenger-car and light-truck fleet improved since 1990 as new vehicle efficiency increased. Stricter CAFE standards for fuel efficiency in passenger cars and light trucks have pushed automakers to produce vehicles with better fuel efficiency. The fuel efficiency of new passenger cars rose by 28.6 percent, from 28.0 mpg in 1990 to 36.0 mpg in 2013. New light trucks, which include vehicles such as pickup trucks, minivans, and SUVs, increased 21.6 percent from 20.8 mpg in 1990 to 25.3 mpg in 2013.

Before 1975 personal vehicle travel and fuel use typically moved in similar trajectories. Fuel economy improvements after 1975 broke this close connection as the amount of fuel used per vehicle-mile of travel steadily decreased. The gap widened further as higher miles per gallon vehicles came to dominate the on-road fleet. Also, economic cycles can influence passenger travel, which, in turn, influences overall fuel use. Economic downturns generally lead to slower vehicle-miles traveled growth, resulting in slower increases in fuel consumption or even reductions.

Passenger Travel and Air Emissions

The transportation sector is a large producer of greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions, accounting for 28.2 percent of total GHG emissions in 2012.  Carbon Dioxide (CO2), which is produced by the combustion of fossil fuels in internal combustion engines, is the predominant GHG emitted by the transportation sector.

GHG emissions generally track transportation energy use because fossil fuels are the primary source of transportation’s energy. Passenger cars use the largest share of fuel and emit the largest share of CO2. The next largest CO2 emitters are light-duty trucks, aircraft, ships and boats, rail, and buses. Total transportation CO2 emissions peaked in 2007 and have since steadily declined. By 2012, CO2 emission levels for all transportation modes decreased by 8.8 percent compared to 2007. From 2007 to 2012, CO2 emissions from passenger cars and light duty trucks declined by 5.5 and 8.8 percent, respectively.

¹ Baby Boomer refers to persons born in the United States between the mid-1940s and mid-1960s.

² Corporate Average Fuel Economy (CAFE) is the sales weighted average fuel economy (expressed mpg) of a manufacturer’s fleet of cars or light trucks with a gross weight rating of 8,500 pounds or less, and manufactured for sale in the United States for a given year. The Energy Policy Conservation Act of 1975 (Public Law 94-163) established the first CAFE standards in response to the 1973-1974 Arab oil embargo.