Passenger Vehicle Occupant Fatalities: The Decline for Six Years in a Row From 2005 to 2011

For six years in a row, the overall number of motor vehicle fatalities in the United States declined, from 43,510 in 2005 to 32,367 in 2011, a drop of 26%. During this time period, the number of passenger car (PC) occupant fatalities declined every year, from 18,512 in 2005 to 11,981 in 2011, a drop of 35%, and the number of light truck/van (LTV) occupant fatalities declined every year, from 13,037 in 2005 to 9,272 in 2011, a drop of 29%. This report examines data from the Fatality Analysis Reporting System (FARS). Passenger vehicles (PVs) consist of PCs and LTVs. The decline in PV occupant fatalities can be better understood by examining six fatal crash types. These six types of PV occupant fatal crashes consist of two groups of single-vehicle (SV) crashes (SV PC, SV LTV), three groups of two-vehicle crashes (PC-PC, LTV-LTV, and PC-LTV), and 3+ PV crashes. These crash types each experienced large drops in fatalities from 2005 to 2011, ranging from 25% and 32% for SV LTV and SV PC fatalities respectively, to between 35% and 39% for each of the three different two-vehicle crash types, and up to 43% for fatalities in 3+ vehicle fatal crashes. For each of the six crash groups, many factors are examined, including occupant age, seat position, vehicle body type, restraint use, ejection, crash location, crash time, alcohol-impaired driving, rollover, road type, manner of collision, and more. The percentage decline in PV occupant fatalities since 2005 was higher for age groups <16 (46%), 16 to 20 (43%) and 35 to 34 (41%), and lower for groups 45 to 64 (27%) and 65+ (22%). Driver fatalities declined by 30% compared to the 39% decline in passenger fatalities. Van occupant fatalities dropped by 46%, compared to the decline in fatalities to occupants of passenger cars (36%), pickups (30%) and sport utility vehicles (21%). The 37 years of FARS data since 1975 shows that the largest fatality declines coincided with the three biggest recessions in the United States economy (1980-1982, 1990-1991, 2007-2009). From 1975 to 2011, of the 10 largest annual percentage declines in PC occupant fatality rates per vehicle miles traveled (VMT), 8 of them occurred either during or immediately following a recession. Similarly, of the 8 largest annual percentage declines in LTV occupant fatality rates per VMT, 6 of them occurred either during or immediately following a recession. Many important safety improvements to roadways (e.g., improved lighting, rumble strips), vehicles (e.g., air bags, electronic stability control) and occupant behavior (e.g., restraint use, reduced alcohol-impaired driving, moving children to the back seat) contributed to the occupant fatality reduction. This report does not focus on estimating the relative magnitude of these safety improvements.

• Record URL:
  • http://www-nrd.nhtsa.dot.gov/Pubs/812034.pdf
• 
• Corporate Authors:

  National Highway Traffic Safety Administration

  Mathematical Analysis Division, 1200 New Jersey Avenue, SE
  Washington, DC  United States  20590
• Authors:
  • Starnes, Marc
  • Burgess, Marilouise
• Publication Date: 2014-6

Language

• English

Media Info

• Media Type: Digital/other
• Features: Appendices; Figures; References; Tables;
• Pagination: 55p

Subject/Index Terms

• TRT Terms: Age groups; Fatalities; Multiple vehicle crashes; Passenger vehicles; Single vehicle crashes; Trend (Statistics); Vehicle occupants
• Identifier Terms: Fatality Analysis Reporting System
• Geographic Terms: United States
• Subject Areas: Highways; Safety and Human Factors; I81: Accident Statistics;

Filing Info

• Accession Number: 01530952
• Record Type: Publication
• Report/Paper Numbers: DOT HS 812 034
• Files: HSL, TRIS, ATRI, USDOT
• Created Date: Jul 24 2014 3:15PM