Death Numbers on Highways are at Their Lowest Ever
The
fatality rate on the nations highways in 2003 was
the lowest since record keeping began 29 years ago, the
U.S. Transportation Secretary Norman Y. Mineta announced.
The number of crash-related injuries also dropped to a historic
low in 2003.
"Americas
roads and highways are safer than ever," said Secretary
Mineta. "The decreasing number of traffic fatalities
and record low death rate on our roads shows that we are
headed down the right road one that leads to a safer
America."
Secretary
Mineta pointed to efforts by the U.S. Department of Transportations
National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) that
contributed to the reduction in the fatal accident rate,
including campaigns to encourage safety belt use and discourage
impaired driving, work with state legislatures to pass tougher
safety belt and drunk driving laws, and rulemaking efforts
to improve vehicle safety standards.
A
total of 42,643 people died, and 2.89 million were injured
in 2003. The fatality rate per 100 million vehicle miles
traveled (VMT) was 1.48 in 2003, down from 1.51 in 2002.
It was the first time the rate has dropped below 1.5. In
2002, 43,005 were killed and 2.93 million were injured.
"We
at NHTSA are proud of the progress weve made and the
success of the priorities weve established during
this Administration," said NHTSA Administrator Jeffrey
Runge, M.D. "But much of the credit goes to the committed
professionals in the states and communities who implement
the programs, and to safety professionals in the automotive
industry who offer safer vehicles."
Alcohol-related
fatalities also dropped significantly in 2003, the first
such decline since 1999, as more states adopted laws that
allowed them to prosecute drivers at .08 blood alcohol content
(BAC) and above. 2004 marks the first year that .08 BAC
laws have been enacted in all 50 states, the District of
Columbia and Puerto Rico.
2003
HIGHWAY FATALITY RATE
In
2003, VMT increased to 2.88 trillion, up from 2.86 trillion
in 2002, according to the DOTs Federal Highway Administration.
NHTSA's Fatality Analysis Reporting System (FARS) also shows that between 2002 and 2003:
- Motorcyclist fatalities increased from 3,270 to 3,661, a 12 percent rise.
- Rollover deaths among passenger vehicle occupants declined 3.3 percent from 10,729 to 10,376. Sport utility vehicle (SUV) rollover fatalities increased 6.8 percent from 2,471 to 2,639, even as SUV registrations increased 11 percent. Rollovers declined in passenger cars (7.5 percent; 4,794 to 4,433) and pickup trucks (6.8 percent; 2,755 to 2,569).
- Twenty-seven states had decreases in the total number of fatalities. The highest percentage decreases were in Colorado (-15 percent); Vermont (-12 percent); Connecticut (-10 percent); Ohio (-10 percent); Oklahoma (-10 percent); and West Virginia (-10 percent). The highest percentage increases were in the District of Columbia (+43 percent); Rhode Island (+24 percent) and Oregon (+17 percent).
- Passenger vehicle occupant fatalities dropped to 31,904 the largest decrease since 1992. Declining fatalities in passenger vehicles are consistent with increases in safety belt use and more crashworthy vehicles.
- Passenger vehicle fatality rates per 100,000 registered vehicles declined for all passenger vehicle types except vans.
- Pedestrian deaths declined 2.1 percent from 4,851 in 2002 to 4,749.
- Fatalities in large truck crashes increased slightly from 4,939 to 4,986.
- In 2003, there was a decline in the number of unbelted fatalities, reflecting an increase in safety belt use. Still, 56 percent of those killed in passenger vehicles were not wearing safety belts. This underscores the need for states to adopt primary safety belt laws.
NHTSA earlier estimated that highway crashes cost society $230.6 billion a year, about $820 per person.
NHTSA annually collects crash statistics from 50 states and the District of Columbia to produce the annual report on traffic fatality trends. Summaries of the 2003 report are available on the NHTSA web site at: www-nrd.nhtsa.dot.gov
Number of Persons Killed in Motor Vehicle
Traffic Crashes, By State
State |
2002 |
2003 |
% Change |
State |
2002 |
2003 |
% Change |
Alabama |
1,038 |
1,001 |
-3.6% |
Montana |
269 |
262 |
-2.6% |
Alaska |
89 |
95 |
+6.7% |
Nebraska |
307 |
293 |
-4.6% |
Arizona |
1,132 |
1,120 |
-1.1% |
Nevada |
381 |
368 |
-3.4% |
Arkansas |
640 |
627 |
-2.0% |
New Hampshire |
127 |
127 |
0% |
California |
4,088 |
4,215 |
+3.1% |
New Jersey |
771 |
747 |
-3.1% |
Colorado |
743 |
632 |
-15% |
New Mexico |
449 |
439 |
-2.2% |
Connecticut |
325 |
294 |
-10% |
New York |
1,530 |
1,491 |
-2.5% |
Delaware |
124 |
142 |
+15% |
North Carolina |
1,576 |
1,531 |
-2.9% |
Dist of Columbia |
47 |
67 |
+43% |
North Dakota |
97 |
105 |
+8.2% |
Florida |
3,136 |
3,169 |
+1.1% |
Ohio |
1,418 |
1,277 |
-10% |
Georgia |
1,524 |
1,603 |
+5.2% |
Oklahoma |
739 |
668 |
-10% |
Hawaii |
119 |
135 |
+13% |
Oregon |
436 |
512 |
+17% |
Idaho |
264 |
293 |
+11% |
Pennsylvania |
1,614 |
1,577 |
-2.3% |
Illinois |
1,420 |
1,453 |
+2.3% |
Rhode Island |
84 |
104 |
+24% |
Indiana |
792 |
834 |
+5.3% |
South Carolina |
1,053 |
968 |
-8.1% |
Iowa |
405 |
441 |
+8.9% |
South Dakota |
180 |
203 |
+13% |
Kansas |
507 |
471 |
-7.1% |
Tennessee |
1,177 |
1,193 |
+1.4% |
Kentucky |
915 |
928 |
+1.4% |
Texas |
3,823 |
3,675 |
-3.9% |
Louisiana |
907 |
894 |
-1.4% |
Utah |
328 |
309 |
-5.8% |
Maine |
216 |
207 |
-4.2% |
Vermont |
78 |
69 |
-12% |
Maryland |
661 |
649 |
-1.8% |
Virginia |
914 |
943 |
+3.2% |
Massachusetts |
459 |
462 |
+0.7% |
Washington |
658 |
600 |
-8.8% |
Michigan |
1,277 |
1,283 |
+0.5% |
West Virginia |
439 |
394 |
-10% |
Minnesota |
657 |
657 |
0% |
Wisconsin |
803 |
848 |
+5.6% |
Mississippi |
885 |
871 |
-1.6% |
Wyoming |
176 |
165 |
-6.3% |
Missouri |
1,208 |
1,232 |
+2.0% |
National Total |
43,005 |
42,643 |
-0.8% |
|