Motor Vehicle Traffic Fatalities

Large Trucks

In 2007, 12 percent (4,808) of all the motor vehicle traffic fatalities reported involved large trucks (gross vehicle weight rating greater than 10,000 pounds).Of the fatalities that resulted from crashes involving large trucks, 75 percent were occupants of other vehicles, 8 percent were nonoccupants, and 17 percent were occupants of large trucks.

Large trucks accounted for 8 percent of all vehicles involved in fatal crashes and 4 percent of all vehicles involved in injury and property-damage-only crashes in 2007.

Three-quarters (75%) of the large trucks involved in fatal crashes in 2007 collided with other motor vehicles in transport.

Only 1 percent of the drivers of large trucks involved in fatal crashes in 2007 had BAC levels of .08 g/dL or higher, compared with 23 percent for passenger cars, 23 percent for light trucks, and 27 percent for motorcycles.

Cars, Light Trucks, and Vans

In 2007, 28,933 occupants of passenger vehicles were killed in traffic crashes and an additional 2,221,000 were injured, accounting for 81 percent of all occupant fatalities (passenger cars 46%, light trucks and vans 35%) and 94 percent of all occupants injured (passenger cars 58%, light trucks and vans 36%). Occupant fatalities in single-vehicle crashes accounted for 45 percent of all motor vehicle fatalities in 2007. Occupant fatalities in multiple-vehicle crashes accounted for 42 percent of all fatalities, and the remaining 13 percent were nonoccupant fatalities (pedestrians, pedalcyclists, etc.)

In 2007, 54 percent of passenger vehicle occupant fatalities occurred in vehicles that sustained frontal damage. Ejection from the vehicle accounted for 28 percent of all passenger vehicle occupant fatalities. The ejection rate for occupants of light trucks in fatal crashes was 38 percent.

More than half (54%) of the passenger vehicle occupants killed in traffic crashes in 2007 were unrestrained. SUVs had the highest rollover involvement rate of any vehicle type in fatal crashes 34 percent, as compared with 28 percent for pickups, 17 percent for vans, and 17 percent for passenger cars.SUVs also had the highest rollover rate for passenger vehicles in injury crashes 10 percent, compared with 9 percent for pickups, 4 percent for vans, and 4 percent for passenger cars.

Driver Age

In 2007, 13 percent of the total U.S. resident population (more than 37 million) were people age 65 years and older. In 2007, 196,000 older individuals were injured in traffic crashes, accounting for 8 percent of all the people injured in traffic crashes during the year. These older individuals made up 14 percent of all traffic fatalities, 14 percent of all vehicle occupant fatalities, and 19 percent of all pedestrian fatalities. The percentage of older drivers involved in fatal crashes in 2007 who had BAC levels of .08 g/dL or higher (6%) was lower than for any other group of adult drivers.

In two-vehicle fatal crashes involving an older driver and a younger driver, the vehicle driven by the older person was nearly twice as likely to be the one that was struck (59% and 33%, respectively). In 46 percent of these crashes, both vehicles were proceeding straight at the time of the collision. In 25 percent, the older drivers were turning left 5 times more often than the younger drivers.

Youth

In 2007, 16- to 24-year-olds represented 24 percent of all traffic fatalities compared with 5 percent for age 15 and under, 46 percent for ages 25 to 54, and 24 percent for age 55 and older. On a per population basis, drivers under the age of 25 had the highest rate of involvement in fatal crashes of any age group. In 2007, 18 percent of 16- to 20-year-old drivers involved in fatal crashes had BAC levels of .08 g/dL or higher. The highest percentages were for drivers ages 21 to 24 and 25 to 34 (35% and 29%, respectively).

One-fifth (20%) of all children between the ages of 5 and 9 who were killed in motor vehicle traffic crashes were pedestrians. Children age 15 and under accounted for 18 percent of the pedestrian fatalities in 2007. Passenger vehicle occupants ages 10 to 24 involved in fatal crashes had the lowest restraint use rate (57%), and those under age 10 had the highest rate (80%).

Male/Female Fatal Crash Involvement

In 2006, the fatal crash involvement rate per 100,000 population was almost 3 times higher for male drivers than for females.Males accounted for 71 percent of all traffic fatalities, 70 percent of all pedestrian fatalities, and 88 percent of all pedalcyclist fatalities in 2007.

Among male drivers involved in fatal crashes in 2007, 25 percent had BAC levels of .08 g/dL or higher, compared with 13 percent of the female drivers involved in fatal crashes. Among female drivers of passenger vehicles involved in fatal crashes in 2007, 24 percent were unrestrained at the time of the collision, compared with 36 percent of male drivers in fatal crashes.

Pedestrians

In 2007, 70,000 pedestrians were injured and 4,654 were killed in traffic crashes in the United States, representing 3 percent of all the people injured in traffic crashes and 11 percent of all traffic fatalities. On average, a pedestrian is killed in a motor vehicle crash every 113 minutes, and one is injured every 8 minutes.

Alcohol involvement either for the driver or the pedestrian was reported in 49 percent of the traffic crashes that resulted in pedestrian fatalities. Of the pedestrians involved, 35 percent had BAC levels of .08 g/dL or higher. Of the drivers involved in fatal crashes, only 14 percent had BAC levels of .08 g/dL or higher. In 6 percent of the crashes, both the driver and the pedestrian had BAC levels of .08 g/dL or higher.

Pedalcyclists

In 2007, 698 pedalcyclists were killed and an additional 44,000 were injured in traffic crashes. Pedalcyclists made up 2 percent of all traffic fatalities and 2 percent of all the people injured in traffic crashes during the year. Most of the pedalcyclists injured or killed in 2007 were males (83% and 88%,respectively), and most were between the ages of 5 and 44 (79% and 55%, respectively).Over one-seventh (15%) of the pedalcyclists killed in traffic crashes in 2007 were between the ages of 5 and 15.