“This is encouraging news, but still far too many perished or were injured, and nearly all crashes are preventable, so much more work remains to be done to make America’s roads safer for everyone,” U.S. Transportation Secretary Elaine L. Chao said.
In 2014, 85 percent of the large trucks involved in fatal traffic crashes were heavy large trucks (GVWR > 26,000 lbs.). Last year, 36,560 people died in motor vehicle crashes – … The upgraded functionalities in the new tool include generating multi-year trends, estimates of alcohol involvement, and charting/tabulation/mapping of query results. The tool, along with instructions on its usage, can be accessed Traffic Safety Fact Sheet “Large Trucks” (DOT HS 812 279), A large truck as defined in this fact sheet is any medium or heavy truck, excluding buses and motor homes, with a gross vehicle weight rating (GVWR) greater than 10,000 pounds.
The data, compiled by NHTSA’s Fatality Analysis Reporting System, shows that highway fatalities decreased in 2018 with 913 fewer fatalities, down to 36,560 people from 37,473 people in 2017. According to the FARS data:The 2018 FARS release also clarifies previously released data on large trucks involved in fatal crashes.
“NHTSA has spent recent years partnering with state and local governments and safety advocates to urge the public to never drive impaired or distracted, to avoid excessive speed, and to always buckle up.” In addition to the 2018 numbers, NHTSA also released initial estimates for the first half of 2019, which suggest that this overall positive trend may be continuing. This is the lowest fatality rate since 2014.Over the past 40 years, there has been a general downward trend in traffic fatalities. In 2018, there was about a 10% decrease from 2017 in passenger vehicle occupants killed in rollover crashes. The National Center for Statistics and Analysis (NCSA), an office of the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), is responsible for providing a wide range of analytical and statistical support to NHTSA and the highway safety community at large. The details of the scope of the changes are documented in the 2018 fatal motor vehicle crashes overview research note.With this release, NHTSA also introduced its new Fatality and Injury Reporting System Tool (FIRST), a modernized crash query tool that lets users not only query fatal crash data but also generate estimates of crashes and people injured in crashes. The school bus is the safest vehicle on the road—your child is much safer taking a bus to and from school than traveling by car. Washington — The number of fatalities on the nation’s roadways declined in 2018 for the second straight year, and the trend is on pace to continue in 2019, according to data from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. Under this Administration and Secretary Chao’s leadership, the USDOT has focused on safety as its top priority. In 2018, drunk driving fatalities dropped about 4%, accounting for 29% of 2018 traffic deaths — the lowest percentage since 1982 when NHTSA started reporting alcohol data.Vehicle improvements such as air bags and electronic stability control have also contributed greatly to the reduction of traffic deaths on our roads. The estimated number of fatalities in the first half of 2019 declined by 3.4 percent from the same period in 2018, with 589 fewer fatalities over that time. Learn About NHTSA NHTSA's Core Values Budget Information Offices Careers Highway Safety Grant Programs The fatality rate per 100 million vehicle miles traveled also decreased by 3.4 percent (from 1.17 in 2017 to 1.13 in 2018), the lowest fatality rate since 2014.“New vehicles are safer than older ones and when crashes occur, more new vehicles are equipped with advanced technologies that prevent or reduce the severity of crashes,” NHTSA Acting Administrator James Owens said.