NHTSA: U.S. road fatalities drop to their lowest level since 1982
Since 1975, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) has been recording the number of fatalities on U.S. roadways, and with the exception of 1992, that figure has never dropped below 40,000 deaths per year. According to NHTSA's new figures, that changed in 2008, when 37,261 fatalities occurred in the U.S. – a drop of nearly 10% over the previous year and the largest reduction in both number and percentage since 1982.
The majority of that reduction came from passenger vehicles, with light truck fatalities dropping for the third consecutive year. However, the reduction hasn't taken place across the board – motorcycle fatalities continue their upwards trajectory with 5,290 riders meeting their demise on the road, comprising 14% of all roadway fatalities and continuing an eleven-year increase. Naturally, injuries were down as well, with 2.35 million people involved in crashes in 2008 compared to 2.49 in 2007, and the metric of 100 Million Vehicle Miles Traveled (VMT) was also down to 1.27 in 2008, compared to 1.36 the previous year.
You can check out NHTSA's full report here (Warning: PDF) and get a full breakdown on the stats from the Insurance Institute of Highway Safety here.
[Source: NHTSA, IIHS | Image: Gabriel Bouys/Getty/AFP]
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Reader Comments (Page 1 of 2)
jv2k 10:35AM (9/22/2009)
Well less people are driving as much as they used to and cars are safer than ever so it's about time the number of deaths went down.
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hondoford 10:46AM (9/22/2009)
It's completely due to the recession; people drive less when they're broke, take public transportation more often when they're broke. What's that? Motorcycle deaths unlike care were still up? It's cheaper to operate a motorcycle, so again, another economic factor. Make gas $10 a gallon and these figures would drop 80% (make gas $10 a gallon and I would be pissed too, I'm not an eco-hippie, but facts are facts).
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bwzd7p2 11:01AM (9/22/2009)
You can't say it's completely due to the recession, because the rate per million miles driven has been dropping, too. Some of it at least is due to better cars.
Farmboy 10:37AM (9/22/2009)
Agreed @jv2k. I also believe that there may be certain idiots no longer on the road.
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husyk 10:41AM (9/22/2009)
Less drivers due to unemployment and job losses equalls less accidents, wonder what the rate in China is since there 1000 news drivers on the road everyday according to Autoline After Hours.
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hmmwv 11:14AM (9/23/2009)
How about 20,000 new drivers per day.
Zo 10:44AM (9/22/2009)
So, when the economy returns -- so will the accidents?
As far as motorcycle accidents, this is no surprise either. As gas prices have gone up so have motorcycle sales -- meaning -- more inexperienced riders and since their are no laws forcing riders to take safety classes, you get what you have. That, and the fact that most people who drive cars have no idea how to share the road with motorcycles.
None of this information is really a surprise.
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Polly Prissy Pants 1:04PM (9/22/2009)
You make some good points but I find it somewhat odd that for every motorcyclist I see on my 30 mile commute each day who's driving safely with the flow of traffic, I see two that are going way faster, weaving in and out of traffic, making 3rd lanes at 60mph, passing on the shoulder and generally asking for death. I've even seen morons doing wheelies down the highway in 5:00 traffic. The fact that motorcycle deaths are up don't surprise me at all. How does that saying go? 90% of people think they're better than average drivers? I imagine the same goes for bikers.
mfergel 10:52AM (9/22/2009)
I'd be curious to know how many of those motorcycle deaths were single rider accidents - ie. No car, truck, etc involved in the accident. I'm thinking the majority were probably related to the rider but I wouldn't be surprised if I were wrong and a large number were related to absent minded idiots sitting in their cage, texting and not bothering to look for cycles.
..uhm, yeah, I ride. :-)
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hoyaCS08 11:22AM (9/22/2009)
Yeah I was thinking about buying a motorcycle, but then I thought about how often I fall off my regular bike. Add 40mph to that and throw in a bunch of idiots on the road who don't bother checking for anything smaller than their 4,000lb SUV when changing lanes, and I figured my days would probably be numbered.
JustinO 10:50AM (9/22/2009)
It's no doubt true that less drivers -> less crashes, but make sure you note that crashes/100M VMT was down almost 10% from last year, as well. This controls for mileage traveled, though not perhaps a changing driver base (if, for argument's sake, people who lost their jobs and stopped driving were also generally worse drivers).
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JustinO 10:53AM (9/22/2009)
Whoops, my bad, Fatality rate was only down 6.6%, not nearly 10%. General point stands, though.
hoyaCS08 11:24AM (9/22/2009)
Good point, though crashes/VMT is not perfectly controlled for when you consider that the number of roads is largely fixed. Less drivers = less crowded roads, which helps reduce crashes/VMT.
WeeDiddy 10:57AM (9/22/2009)
pretty predictable. As car safety goes up and fewer older, less safe cars are on the road, fatalities will continue to drop. Motorcycle deaths will continue to rise with the total rider population since there hasn't been any significant change in motorcycle safety nor will there ever be.
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IOMTT 1:00PM (9/22/2009)
Don't be so sure...maybe the equipment will not come on a bike, but actually will be riding apparel. They are working on some airbag type devices in jackets and there is already armor. But it is an uphill climb for us motorcycle guys. The best equipment always has been and always will be a skilled, knowledgeable rider.
rlewis01 11:07AM (9/22/2009)
High unemployment + high gas prices + better safety features = lower road fatalities. Very good news for drivers everywhere.
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hanmojo 11:08AM (9/22/2009)
So we go from 3M to 2M people injured per 100M VMT, or 2% of the time.
19% of the total killed are passenger cars, for that we 'ALL' lug around the 15 air bags, anti lock brakes, side impact beam and what ever else the whatever else the Insurance Institute of Highway Safety want us to install just to lower the insurance pay out. Seems like they should spend more time adding 'safty' weight on the other 81% of non-passengers cars.
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Farris 11:29AM (9/22/2009)
So does that mean insurance rates can go down now? Please?
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Polly Prissy Pants 1:13PM (9/22/2009)
Just because you're not dead doesn't mean your $40,000 Taurus isn't still totalled. If you want lower rates you'll probably do better driving a cheaper car.
camaroz1985 11:29AM (9/22/2009)
The NHTSA report actually shows by raw numbers (not per 100M VMT) fatalities are at the lowest level since 1962
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