Author: Maggie Palmer

  • June 9th, 2020

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) works to reduce the occurrence of distracted driving and raise awareness of its dangers. This risky behavior poses a danger to vehicle occupants as well as pedestrians and pedalcyclists. Driver distraction is a specific type of driver inattention. Distraction occurs when drivers divert their attention from the driving […]

  • June 9th, 2020

In 2018 there were 6,907 people 65 and older killed in traffic crashes in the United States, 19 percent of all traffic fatalities. Between 2017 and 2018 there was a 1-percent increase in the number of 65 and older killed in traffic crashes.  For the purpose of this fact sheet “older” drivers, occupants and nonoccupants […]

  • June 9th, 2020

The Speeding Traffic Safety Fact Sheet summarizes speeding-related crashes in 2018.  Among the key findings: There were 36,560 traffic fatalities in 2018; among them, 9,378 (26%) were in crashes involving at least one speeding driver. Speeding-related fatalities in 2018 decreased by 6 percent from 2017, from 9,947 to 9,378. In 2018, some 30 percent of […]

  • June 9th, 2020

In 2019, seat belt use in the United States ranged from 70.7 percent in New Hampshire to 97.1 percent in Hawaii. Twenty-six States, the District of Columbia, Guam, and the Northern Mariana Islands achieved seat belt use rates of 90 percent or higher. These results are from probability-based observational surveys conducted by the 50 States, […]

  • June 9th, 2020

This Research Note provides information on fatalities to people of all ages and children 14 and younger, in particular, who were involved in “motor vehicle non-crash incidents” (herein referred to as “non-crash incidents”) over the four-year period: 2008 to 2011. The data on such incidents was obtained by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration through […]

  • June 9th, 2020

This Traffic Safety Facts report briefly summarizes findings on pedalcyclist fatalities in 2018.  There were 857 pedalcyclist deaths in 2018, about 2.3 percent of all traffic fatalities during the year. 79 percent of pedalcyclists died in crashes in urban areas. Over the 10-year period 2009 to 2018, the average age of pedalcyclists killed in motor […]

  • June 9th, 2020

A statistical projection of traffic fatalities for 2019 shows that an estimated 36,120 people died in motor vehicle traffic crashes. This represents an estimated decrease of about 1.2 percent as compared to the 36,560 fatalities that were reported in 2018. Preliminary data reported by the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) shows that vehicle miles traveled (VMT) […]

  • June 9th, 2020

Rural areas account for 71 percent of the Nation’s public road miles and see nearly half of crash fatalities. With vast road miles to consider, this report quantifies the extent of fatalities in the first 15 miles outside of urban areas (UA). Fifty-nine percent of rural crash fatalities occur within 5 miles of UAs; this […]

  • June 9th, 2020

For this fact sheet, rural and urban boundaries are determined by the State highway departments and approved by the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA). The State highway departments use the boundaries decided by the Census Bureau. This fact sheet contains information on fatal motor vehicle crashes and fatalities, based on data from the Fatality Analysis Reporting […]

  • June 9th, 2020

Bad assumptions make data from Weeks 1-14 insufficient. Please see accurate data from Week 15 forward.  It is Week 13 of the coronavirus pandemic, and total crash data is still showing a decline in Alabama. Overall, crashes have declined to less than 40% of their pre-COVID-19 levels, INCLUDING speed-involved and fatal crashes, but are now […]