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Comparison of 2015 with 2011-2014 Crash Data
This Power Point presentation was given at the meeting of the Traffic Records Coordinating Committee on February 11, 2015. It highlights major changes in crash patterns that occurred in CY2015 by comparing all of the data elements for this year with the past years. The major findings included a major shift from rural to urban driving that has been seen over the past five years. The major reductions of youth (aged 16-20) crashes that were seen in 2011-2014 were revered with a 15% increase in 2015. The presentation presents four reasons for the changes: (1) more complete reporting of crashes; (2) economic factors of increased employment and a reduction in fuel prices resulting in significantly higher miles driven; (3) the demographic trend toward urban areas; and (4) over 20% increase in wet-weather crashes. Past research has found an average increase of crashes on wet days to be over 40%, although their severity is generally lower.