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The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration considers a traffic crash to be speeding-related if any driver in the crash was charged with a speeding related offense or if a police officer indicated that racing, driving too fast for conditions, or exceeding the posted speed limit was a contributing factor in the crash. A speeding-related fatality […]
In 2022 there were 6,218 motorcyclists killed, 15 percent of all traffic fatalities. The number of motorcyclist fatalities in 2022 increased by 1 percent from 2021, from 6,143 to 6,218. Read the full fact guide here.
Passenger vehicles are defined as motor vehicles with gross vehicle weight ratings of 10,000 pounds or less and include passenger cars and light trucks (SUVs, pickups, vans, and other light trucks). In 2022 there were 25,420 passenger vehicle occupants who died in motor vehicle traffic crashes, a 4-percent decrease from 26,465 in 2021. An estimated […]
A statistical projection of traffic fatalities for the first quarter of 2024 shows an estimated 8,650 people died in motor vehicle traffic crashes, a decrease of about 3.2 percent as compared to 8,935 fatalities projected to have occurred in 2023, as shown in Table 1. The first quarter of 2024 represents the eighth consecutive quarterly […]
Drivers are considered to be alcohol-impaired when their blood alcohol concentrations (BACs) are .08 grams per deciliter (g/dL) or higher. Thus, any fatal traffic crash involving a driver with a BAC of .08 g/dL or higher is considered to be an alcohol-impaired-driving crash, and fatalities occurring in those crashes are considered to be alcohol-impaired-driving fatalities. […]
In 2014 NHTSA specified an area behind the vehicle that must be displayed to the driver while backing, which applied to new passenger vehicles beginning with model year 2018. Most manufacturers responded by adding rearview video systems (RVSs) to their vehicles. Research has shown that using RVSs can reduce crash risk (Hurwitz et al., 2010); […]
This fact sheet contains information on fatal motor vehicle traffic crashes based on data from the Fatality Analysis Reporting System (FARS) and non-fatal motor vehicle traffic crashes from the Crash Report Sampling System (CRSS). Results from FARS, such as fatal crashes and fatalities, are actual counts, while results from CRSS, such as non-fatal crashes and […]
Impaired driving continues to be a significant public health and public safety problem in the United States. In 2021 some 30 percent of the 42,915 traffic fatalities involved alcohol-impaired drivers (drivers with blood alcohol concentrations [BACs] of .08 grams per deciliter or higher). In addition, there has been a significant increase in drug-impaired driving and […]
A statistical projection of traffic fatalities for 2023 shows an estimated 40,990 people died in motor vehicle traffic crashes, a decrease of about 3.6 percent as compared to 42,514 fatalities reported to have occurred in 2022. The fourth quarter of 2023 represents the seventh consecutive quarterly decline in fatalities beginning with the second quarter of […]
The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration works to reduce the occurrence of distracted driving and raise awareness of its dangers. This risky driving behavior poses a danger not only to vehicle occupants but pedestrians and pedalcyclists as well. Driver distraction is a specific type of driver inattention that occurs when drivers divert attention from the […]