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Abstract
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DOT HS 812 318
The Nation lost 35,092 people in crashes on U.S. roadways during 2015, an increase from 32,744 in 2014. The 7.2-percent increase is the largest percentage increase in nearly 50 years. The largest percentage increase previously was an 8.1-percent increase from 1965 to 1966. The estimated number of people injured on the Nation’s roads increased in 2015, rising from 2.34 to 2.44 million injured people. Fatalities increased from 2014 to 2015 in almost all segments of the population—passenger vehicle occupants, passengers of large trucks, pedestrians, pedalcyclists, motorcyclists, alcohol-impaired driving fatalities, male/female, daytime/nighttime. Fatalities of drivers of large trucks was one of the few groups that remained unchanged. The estimated number of police-reported crashes increased by 3.8 percent, from 6.0 to 6.3 million.
This Research Note provides a brief overview of the 2015 fatal crash picture using data from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration's Fatality Analysis Reporting System (FARS), a census of motor vehicle fatal traffic crashes [on public roadways in which a person died within 30 days of the crash] in the 50 States, the District of Columbia, and Puerto Rico, and the National Automotive Sampling System General Estimates System (NASS GES), a nationally representative sample of police reported motor vehicle crashes.
Additional Facts
■ There were increases in motorcyclist fatalities in every age group except those 19 and under, which saw 15 fewer fatalities in 2015 than in 2014, a decrease of 8.7 percent. Overall, there were 382 more motorcyclist fatalities in 2015, an increase of 8.3 percent over 2014.
■ In States without universal helmet laws, 58 percent of motorcyclists killed in 2015 were not wearing helmets, as compared to 8 percent in States with universal helmet laws.
■ The number of young drivers 16 to 20 years old involved in fatal crashes increased by 10 percent from 2014; the number of young drivers who died in fatal crashes also increased by 10 percent from 2014.
■ There were 4,067 fatalities in crashes involving large trucks, 4.1 percent more fatalities than in 2014, the highest since 2008. Of the 4,067 fatalities, 667 (16.4%) were occupants of large trucks, 10.1 percent were nonoccupants, and 73.5 percent were occupants of other vehicles.
■ Every month except November saw increases in fatalities from 2014 to 2015. The highest increases were in July and September, at around 11 percent. |