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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 […]
The percentage of passenger vehicle drivers talking on handheld phones decreased from 2.5 percent in 2021 to 2.1 percent in 2022 (Figure 1 and Table 1). The percentage of drivers speaking with visible headsets while driving remained unchanged from the previous year’s level of 0.4 percent (Figure 1 and Table 2). Drivers’ visible manipulation of […]
The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration has taken the first step toward making impaired-driving prevention technology standard in new passenger vehicles. The Advance Notice of Proposed Rulemaking that NHTSA is announcing today helps fulfill a requirement in the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law and supports the Department’s National Roadway Safety Strategy. Read the full article here.
NHTSA has recently issued a projection report of traffic fatalities and the fatality rate per 100 million vehicle miles traveled (VMT) for the first half of 2023 (Early Estimate of Motor Vehicle Traffic Fatalities for the First Half (Jan–Jun) of 2023, Report No. DOT HS 813 514). That report shows an estimated 19,515 people died […]
Communication campaigns are among the most widely used efforts to promote traffic safety and can be used to promote safe driving practices and knowledge of traffic laws, and otherwise educate the public. One way campaigns could be improved is to use behavior change theory in campaign development. Behavior change theories are developed to explain and […]