Crashes took 37,133 lives in the U.S. in 2017.
The number and type of motor vehicle crash deaths differ widely among the 50 states and the District of Columbia. A state's population has an obvious effect on the number of motor vehicle deaths. Fatality rates per capita provide a way of examining motor vehicle deaths relative to a state's population. However, many factors can affect these rates, including amounts and types of travel, types of vehicles driven, higher speed traffic, rates of licensure, state traffic laws, emergency care capabilities, weather, and topography.
The following facts are based on analysis of data from the U.S. Department of Transportation's Fatality Analysis Reporting System (FARS).
There were 37,248 fatal motor vehicle crashes in the United States in 2007 in which 41,059 deaths occurred. This resulted in a national motor vehicle death rate of 13.6 deaths per 100,000 people. Motor vehicle death rates varied among states from a low of 6.5 deaths per 100,000 people in Massachusetts and Rhode Island, to a high of 30.3 deaths per 100,000 people in Mississippi.
States with lowest and highest rates of motor vehicle crash deaths per 100,000 people, 2007
In 2007, the types of motor vehicle crash deaths varied across states. For example, Wyoming had the lowest percentages of deaths involving car occupants (23 percent) and pedestrians (1 percent) and the highest percentage of deaths involving occupants of SUVs and pickups (50 percent). In contrast, New York had relatively high proportions of car occupant deaths (43 percent) and pedestrian deaths (21 percent), and a relatively low percentage of deaths involving SUV or pickup occupants (15 percent). The highest percentage of motorcyclist deaths occurred in South Dakota (20 percent), and the percentage of pedestrian deaths was highest in the District of Columbia (43 percent).
Nationwide, 51 percent of passenger vehicle occupant deaths in 2007 occurred in single-vehicle crashes. The highest proportions of single-vehicle crashes occurred in Rhode Island (76 percent), Wyoming (70 percent), Idaho (67 percent), and North Dakota (66 percent).
Some states report blood alcohol concentration (BAC) for only a small percentage of fatally injured passenger vehicle drivers. If BAC is missing for a driver, it is imputed by the US Department of Transportation’s multiple imputation model.[ Error ] However, BAC information is most precise in states that report a high percentage of BACs. In the following table, estimated percentages of fatally injured drivers with BACs at or above 0.08 percent are shown only for states in which BAC reporting was 70 percent or higher. Estimated percentages are based on known BAC when available and imputed BAC for the remaining drivers.
For the nation in 2007, BAC was reported for 64 percent of fatally injured passenger vehicle drivers. New Mexico and Vermont reported BACs for 94 percent of fatally injured passenger vehicle drivers, while Alabama reported BACs for 14 percent. Among states with reporting rates of at least 70 percent, North Dakota (50 percent) had the highest estimated percentage of fatally injured drivers with BACs of 0.08 percent or higher, and Kentucky (25 percent) had the lowest.
When examining restraint use among fatally injured motor vehicle occupants, it is important to note that percentages will be lower than observed restraint use because unrestrained occupants are more likely than restrained occupants to be fatally injured. Restrained occupants include occupants in child safety seats and occupants restrained by safety belts.
The percentage of fatally injured passenger vehicle occupants who were restrained in 2007 varied by state. South Dakota (23 percent) had the lowest percentage of fatally injured restrained occupants, and California had the highest (58 percent). States with a high proportion of unknowns include the District of Columbia (29 percent), Massachusetts (21 percent) and Rhode Island (20 percent). For the nation, 42 percent of fatally injured occupants were restrained.
Sixty-two percent of passenger vehicle occupant deaths in 2007 occurred in rural areas. The state with the greatest proportion of passenger vehicle occupant deaths on rural roads was Vermont (98 percent).
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