Trends in Non-Fatal Traffic Injuries: 1996 – 2005
An analysis of three major databases of the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) shows that from 1996 through 2005, the annual number of “incapacitating” injuries due to motor vehicle crashes decreased by 25 to 28%. Incapacitating is a category of injury severity that represents the most severe non-fatal injuries. An incapacitating injury is a nonfatal injury that prevents the injured person from walking, driving, or normally continuing the activities the person was capable of performing before the injury occurred. This report utilizes three databases from NHTSA’s National Center for Statistics and Analysis (NCSA). The databases are used separately to analyze trends in non-fatal motor vehicle injuries. Data were individually examined from the Fatality Analysis Reporting System (FARS) from 1996 through 2005, the National Automotive Sampling System General Estimates System (GES) from 1996 through 2005, and 25 States in the State Data System (SDS) from 1996 through 2004. A significant reduction was seen in the overall non-fatal injury counts in each of the FARS, GES, and SDS databases. The GES and SDS annual injury counts dropped by 23% and 9% respectively, while an 11% drop in non-fatal injuries was seen in the FARS database of fatal crashes. The largest percentage decline in the FARS database (25%), GES database (28%), and SDS database (25%) occurred among the most severe injuries, referred to as incapacitating injuries. The rate of non-fatal injuries per crash also declined in each of the three databases. These reductions in non-fatal injuries seen in FARS, GES, and SDS have taken place despite a 20% increase in vehicle miles traveled. Concurrent with these declines in non-fatal injuries, the number of FARS fatalities rose by 3%. The decline in injuries noted in this report is correlated to the many improvements in vehicle safety and driver and passenger behavior that have taken place in the last decade. These improvements include, but are not limited to: an increased use of seat belts and child safety seats, reductions in drunk driving, as well as an expansion throughout the vehicle fleet of air bags and electronic stability control.
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Corporate Authors:
National Center for Statistics and Analysis
1200 New Jersey Avenue, SE
Washington, DC United States 20590 - Publication Date: 2008-5
Language
- English
Media Info
- Media Type: Web
- Edition: NHTSA Technical Report
- Features: Appendices; Figures; References; Tables;
- Pagination: 48p
Subject/Index Terms
- TRT Terms: Crash injuries; Fatalities; Injury rates; Injury severity; States; Trend (Statistics)
- Identifier Terms: Fatality Analysis Reporting System; General Estimates System; National Automotive Sampling System
- Subject Areas: Highways; Safety and Human Factors; I81: Accident Statistics; I84: Personal Injuries;
Filing Info
- Accession Number: 01099043
- Record Type: Publication
- Report/Paper Numbers: HS-810 944
- Files: HSL, TRIS, ATRI, USDOT
- Created Date: May 15 2008 3:47PM