VIRGINIA TRAFFIC CRASH FACTS 1981

It is difficult to exude a great deal of enthusiasm and excitement about highway safety when 1,012 persons--one a State Trooper--have been killed on Virginia's highways in 1981. However, the fatality figure of 1,012 represents the fewest number of deaths on Virginia highways since 1963 when 989 were recorded. In 1981, 158 of those killed were pedestrians and this represents the fewest number of pedestrian deaths since 1961 (157). During a year in which motor vehicles registered continues to increase while gasoline consumption and vehicular miles traveled slightly decreased, it is significant that Virginia's death rate fell from 2.81 in 1980 to 2.78 in 1981. Death rate, perhaps the most appropriate index of highway safety, represents the number of fatalities per 100 million vehicular miles traveled. One of the most alarming figures contained in this 1981 issue of Crash Facts is the sharp increase in the percentage of drinking drivers involved in fatal crashes. There were 907 fatal crashes in 1981, and 36.2 percent involved drinking drivers compared to 32.4 percent in 1980.

• Corporate Authors:

  Department of State Police

  Division of Records and Statistics, P.O. Box 27472
  Richmond, VA  United States  23261
• Publication Date: 1982

Media Info

• Features: Tables;
• Pagination: 114 p.

Subject/Index Terms

• TRT Terms: Crashes; Drunk drivers; Drunk driving; Fatalities; Statistics
• Subject Areas: Data and Information Technology; Highways; Safety and Human Factors; I81: Accident Statistics;

Filing Info

• Accession Number: 00385721
• Record Type: Publication
• Source Agency: National Highway Traffic Safety Administration
• Report/Paper Numbers: HS-035 914
• Files: HSL, TRIS, USDOT
• Created Date: May 30 1984 12:00AM