Cracking UP - III reports US automobile crash statistics

By admin on March 11th, 2008

The cost and crashworthiness of vehicles as well as drivers' safety habits affect the cost of auto insurance. In 2006, 42,642 people died in motor vehicle crashes and an additional 2,575,000 people were injured, according to the U.S. Department of Transportation. Out of concern for public safety and to help reduce the cost of crashes, insurers support safe driving initiatives. In 1969 the insurance industry created the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety, an organization best known for its vehicle crashworthiness testing program. The industry has also fought to get auto manufacturers to make air bags standard equipment in vehicles and is a major supporter of antidrunk driving and seat-belt usage campaigns. Drivers themselves have also contributed to the reduction in crash-related fatalities by demanding safer vehicles.

Motor vehicle crashes are the leading cause of death for people ages two to
34.

• A motor vehicle death occurs on average every 12 minutes and an injury
  every 12 seconds. About 117 people died each day in motor vehicle crashes
  in 2006.


• Since the first documented crash death in 1899, more than 30 million
  people worldwide have died in traffic crashes.

FATALITIES AND INJURIES

• Overall: The U.S. Department of Transportation's Fatal Analysis Reporting System in the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA, http://www.nhtsa.dot.gov ) division reports that 42,642 people died in motor vehicle crashes in 2006, down 2.0 percent from 43,510 in 2005. 2006 motor vehicle fatalities were at the lowest level in five years. While deaths among passenger vehicle occupants and nonoccupants fell in 2006, motorcycle riders suffered a 5.1 percent increase. This was the ninth consecutive annual increase in motorcycle rider deaths.In 2006, the number of people injured in motor vehicle crashes fell 4.6 percent from 2,699,000 in 2005 to 2,575,000 in 2006.


• By Vehicle Miles Traveled: The fatality rate measured as deaths per 100 million vehicle miles traveled was 1.41 in 2006, down from 1.46 in 2005.


• By Crash Type: In 2006, there were 5,973,588 police-reported motor vehicle traffic crashes, down 3.0 percent from 6,159,252 in 2005. Of total crashes, 1,746,000 caused injuries and 4,189,000 caused property damage only. NHTSA estimates 10 million or more crashes go unreported every year.


• Work-Related: In 2006 crashes involving vehicles on public roadways were the leading cause of work-related fatalities, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, accounting for 23 percent of all fatal work injuries.


• By Age Group: In 2006, older people (65 and older) made up 14 percent of all traffic fatalities, 14 percent of vehicle occupant fatalities and 19 percent of pedestrian fatalities, in large part because they are frailer and more likely to die from their injuries than younger people. (See Older Drivers paper.) In 2005 (latest data available) there were 29 million older licensed drivers, up from 17 percent in 1995. The total number of drivers rose only 14 percent from 1995 to 2005.In 2006 drivers between the ages of 15 and 20 accounted for 12.9 percent of all drivers in fatal crashes and for 16 percent of all drivers in police-reported crashes. In 2005 (latest available data) drivers in this age group accounted for 6.3 percent of all licensed drivers. To reduce high accident rates among young drivers, states are increasingly adopting graduated driver license programs, which allow young drivers to improve their skills and driving habits. (See Teen Driving paper).


• By Driver BehaviorSpeeding: In 2006, 13,543 lives were lost due to speed-related accidents. Speeding was a contributing factor in 31 percent of all fatal crashes. In 2006, 39 percent of 15- to 20-year-old male drivers who were involved in fatal crashes were speeding at the time of the crash. NHTSA says that speed-related crashes cost Americans $40.4 billion each year. A crash is considered speed related when the driver is charged with a speed-related offense or a law enforcement officer indicates that exceeding the posted speed limit, driving too fast for conditions or racing was a contributing factor.Drunk Driving: There is an alcohol-related traffic fatality every 29 minutes. In 2006, 17,602 people died in alcohol-related crashes, up slightly from 17,590 in 2005 and was the highest level since 1996. Alcohol was involved in 41 percent of all crash fatalities in 2006. (See Drunk Driving paper.) Alcohol-related crashes are defined as those where someone involved, either a driver or a nonoccupant such as a pedestrian or bicyclist, had a traceable amount of alcohol in his or her blood.Drunk Driving and Speeding: In 2006, 41 percent of intoxicated drivers (with a blood-alcohol content at or above 0.08, the definition of drunkenness) involved in fatal crashes were speeding, compared with 15 percent of sober drivers involved in fatal crashes.Red Light Running: The Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS) says that more than 900 people a year die and nearly 2,000 are injured as a result of vehicles running red lights. About half of those deaths are pedestrians and occupants of other vehicles who are hit by red light runners.
  
  Fatigue: NHTSA statistics show that at least 100,000 crashes and 1,500 deaths each year are the result of drivers falling asleep at the wheel. A 2002 poll conducted by the National Sleep Foundation found that 100 million drivers, close to half of American adult drivers, drive while drowsy and nearly two out of ten admitted to having fallen asleep at the wheel. New Jersey passed a law in 2003 that equates falling asleep at the wheel with reckless driving, and if a driver falls asleep and kills someone in a crash, he or she can be charged with vehicular homicide and serve up to ten years in jail and pay fines. Although at least four states have considered similar legislation, New Jersey is the only state with such a law on the books.


• Distracted Driving: A study sponsored by Nationwide Insurance, which surveyed 1,200 drivers between the ages of 18 and 60, found that 81 percent of drivers "multitasked" (engaged in distracting behaviors while driving) at least sometimes. One in eight said he or she changed radio stations or CDs. The same proportion acknowledged drinking a beverage. Almost three-quarters talked on a cell phone, and 68 percent ate a snack. Twenty-three percent acknowledged they experienced road rage and 4 percent said they have driven while intoxicated.


• The January 2007 study also found that the youngest drivers, age 18 to 27, were the most likely to always multitask while driving 35 percent. Thirty percent of drivers age 28 to 44 always multitasked and 21 percent of the 45-to 60-year-olds always multitasked.


• Some form of driver inattention was involved in almost 80 percent of crashes and 65 percent of near-crashes within three seconds of the event, according to an April 2006 study conducted by the Virginia Tech Transportation Institute and the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA). The 100-Car Naturalistic Driving Study broke new ground earlier research found that driver inattention was responsible for 25 to 30 percent of crashes. The 2006 study found that the most common distraction was the use of cell phones, followed by drowsiness. However, cell phone use was far less likely to be the cause of a crash or near-miss than other distractions. For example, while reaching for a moving object such as a falling cup increased the risk of a crash or near-crash by nine times, talking or listening on a hand-held cell phone only increased the risk by 1.3 times. The study tracked the behavior of the 241 drivers of 100 vehicles for more than one year. The drivers were involved in 82 crashes, 761 near-crashes and 8,295 critical incidents. (See also Cell Phones and Driving.)


• Cell Phone Use: In July 2007, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration and the National Center for Statistics and Analysis released the results of their National Occupant Protection Use Survey (NOPUS), which found that in 2006 5 percent of drivers used hand-held cell phones, down from 6 percent in 2005, the first decline since the survey began tracking hand-held cell phone use in 2000. The decline in use occurred in a number of driver categories, including female drivers (down from 8 to 6 percent), drivers in the Midwest (down from 8 to 4 percent), drivers age 25 to 69 (down from 6 to 4 percent) and drivers of passenger cars (down from 6 to 4 percent) to name but a few. NOPUS is a probability-based observational survey. Data on driver cell-phone use were collected at random stop signs or stoplights only while vehicles were stopped and only during daylight hours. (See also Cell Phones and Driving.)


• Many studies have shown that using hand-held cell phones while driving can constitute a hazardous distraction. However, the theory that hands-free sets are safer has been challenged by the findings of several studies. A study from researchers at the University of Utah, published in the summer 2006 issue of Human Factors concludes that talking on a cell phone while driving is as dangerous as driving drunk, even if the phone is a hands-free model. An earlier study by researchers at the university found that motorists who talked on hands-free cell phones were 18 percent slower in braking and took 17 percent longer to regain the speed they lost when they braked.


• Deer Collisions: The Insurance Institute for Highway Safety estimates that there are more than 1.5 million deer-vehicle collisions each year, resulting in 150 occupant deaths, tens of thousands of injuries and over $1 billion in vehicle damage. The average claim for collision damage is about $3,000, with costs varying depending on the type of vehicle and severity of damage; claims involving medical payments can add thousands of dollars, according to the Insurance Information Institute. Some states experience more deer collisions than others. According to a study of annual claim statistics, the states with the highest number of accidents involving deer from 2005 to 2006 were: Pennsylvania, Michigan, Illinois, Ohio, Georgia, Virginia, Minnesota, Texas, Indiana and South Carolina. The deer migration and mating season generally runs from October through December, and causes a dramatic increase in the movement of the deer population. As a result, more deer-vehicle collisions occur during this period than at any other time of year.


• Hit and Run Crashes: According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) there were 1,106 fatal hit and run crashes in 2005, that is, crashes where the driver left the scene after a collision with a person not in a motor vehicle. In this analysis NHTSA does not include hit and run collisions between vehicles only. Hit and run crashes in 2005 were up 20.6 percent from 917 in 2000. In 2005, 2,610 people died in these crashes, a 14.4 percent increase from 2,281 in 2000. There were 1,231 vehicles involved in these crashes I n 2006, up 20.0 percent from 1,026 in 2000.


• By VehicleSUVs: The number of people killed in SUV rollover crashes fell 0.2 percent from 2,895 in 2005 to 2,888 in 2006, according to NHTSA. In 2006 SUVs had the highest occupant fatality rate of any vehicle type in rollover crashes at 7.77 per 100,000 registered vehicles. This compares with 6.98 for pickup trucks, 3.10 for vans and 3.18 for passenger cars.Motorcycles: NHTSA says that in 2006, 4,810 motorcyclists died in crashes, marking the ninth consecutive year of increasing motorcycle deaths and a 5.1 percent increase from 4,576 in 2005. 2006 fatalities were the highest since 1981. In addition, motorcycle rider fatalities increased to 11.3 percent of all motor vehicle crash fatalities, compared with 5.0 percent in 1997. (See Motorcycle Crashes paper.) Between 1997 and 2006, motorcycle fatalities rose 127 percent. In 2005 (latest data available for registration statistics) motorcycles accounted for about 3 percent of all registered motor vehicles and 0.4 percent of vehicle miles traveled. However, per vehicle mile traveled in 2005, motorcyclists were about 37 times more likely than passenger car occupants to die in a crash and eight times more likely to be injured.Large Trucks: According to NHTSA, 4,995 people died in crashes involving large trucks in 2006, compared with 5,240 in 2005, a decrease of 4.7 percent. Although large trucks amounted to 3 percent of all registered vehicles in 2005 (latest year available for registration statistics), they accounted for 8 percent of all vehicles involved in fatal crashes in 2006. One out of nine traffic fatalities in 2006 resulted from a collision involving a large truck.

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