Mortality from Road Crashes in the Individual U.S. States: A Comparison withOMPARISON WITH LEADING CAUSES OF DEATH IN 2015

  • February 1st, 2018

This study compared, for each U.S. state, the fatalities per population from road crashes with fatalities per population from five leading causes of death (heart diseases, cancer, lung diseases, strokes, and Alzheimer’s disease) and from all causes. The data, applicable to 2015, came from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, and the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.

The main findings are as follows:

  1. In the United States, there were 10.9 fatalities from road crashes per 100,000
    population, as compared with 197.2 from heart diseases, 185.4 from cancer, 48.2 from
    lung diseases, 43.7 from strokes, and 34.4 from Alzheimer’s disease. The highest
    fatality rate from road crashes was in Wyoming (24.7) and the lowest in the District of
    Columbia (3.4).
  2. In the United States, fatalities from road crashes represented 1.3% of fatalities from
    all causes. The highest percentage was in Wyoming (3.0%) and the lowest in Rhode
    Island (0.4%).
  3. In the United States, fatalities from road crashes corresponded to 5.5% of fatalities
    from heart diseases, 5.9% of fatalities from cancer, 22.6% of fatalities from lung
    diseases, 25.0% of fatalities from strokes, and 31.7% of fatalities from Alzheimer’s
    disease.
  4. Fatalities from road crashes as a percentage of fatalities from other causes of death
    varied greatly among the states. For example, fatalities from road crashes as a
    percentage of fatalities from Alzheimer’s disease ranged from 96.0% in Wyoming to
    9.9% in Rhode Island.

Report No.: SWT-2018-3

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