Crash Statistics

Congratulations to Dan Feldstein of The Houston Chronicle for an outstanding article (12/21/98, Page 1) analyzing the 300 fatal traffic accidents in Harris County that killed 330 people in 1997.

The Houston Chronicle obtained every fatal accident report filed by all police departments in Harris County for that year.

An analysis by the newspaper, plus statistics tabulated by the Texas Department of Public Safety, shows that drunkenness is still a leading killer on area roadways. Here are some other interesting facts:

More fatal collisions between vehicles happen on local roads than on area freeways.

About 40 percent of pedestrian deaths occur on the freeways. Many are drunken pedestrian deaths, which outnumber child pedestrian deaths in Harris County by 6 to 1.

Houston's annual rate of 10.49 deaths by motor vehicle per 100,000 population is higher than some major cities and lower than others. It is average for larger Texas cities. Dallas is the highest in the state with 16.23.

In Houston, the peak hours for injury and property accidents is evening rush hour - 4-7 p.m. But the sharp increase in fatal accidents comes after 10 p.m., spiking again after 2 a.m. when the bars close.

Weekends are worse than weekdays.

Only 39 percent of fatal vehicle crashes in Harris County in 1997 were with another motor vehicle. One quarter were with a fixed object - typically a concrete barrier on a freeway, utility pole on a city street or ditch on a country road.

Typical factors for fixed-object accidents are speed, fatigue, drunkenness and slick pavement.

Twenty-three percent of fatal vehicle accidents are with pedestrians. The rest include rollovers and collisions with bicycles and with parked cars.

Among collisions between vehicles nationwide, a statistical analysis shows, angles such as broadside are nearly five times more likely to be fatal than a rear-end collision. That is because the force of impact is generally greater and there is less protection on the side of a vehicle than in the front and back.

While a rear-end accident is typical of a freeway at rush hour, angles are typical of accidents at intersections. In 1997, 58 fatal collisions were caused when someone ran a red light or stop sign or failed to yield the right of way, such as taking a left turn into oncoming traffic.

The leading cause of death in the United States for people aged 6-27 is vehicle crashes. In Harris County, 21 percent of residents aged 15-29 who died in 1997 were killed in vehicle crashes, according to the Texas Department of Health.

Historical Crash Data

The number of police-reported traffic crashes in the United States is estimated at 6,753,500 for 1997. This represents a small (1.3%) decrease over 1996. The number of injuries that occurred in these crashes is estimated at 3,450,000, which is 1.7 percent lower relative to 1996.

An estimated 42,000 people lost their lives in traffic crashes during 1997. This represents a 0.2 percent decrease from the 42,065 fatalities reported for 1996. As for longterm trends, the 1997 total is 1.4 percent lower than in 1983 and 17.8 percent lower than the count in 1980.

Based on an estimated increase of 2.0 percent in vehicle miles of travel, the fatality rate for 1997 is estimated at 1.7 fatalities per 100 million vehicle miles of travel, the same as in 1996 but much lower than the 2.6 for 1983, and 3.3 for 1980.

Between 1996 and 1997 the number of pedestrian fatalities decreased by 5.4 percent while bicyclist fatalities increased by about 4.6 percent. Fatalities in single vehicle crashes and angle collisions remained at the same level as in 1996. Head on crash and sideswipe crash fatalities increased by 3 percent and 8 percent respectively, while rear end crash fatalities decreased by 1 percent.

In 1997 the number of fatalities associated with the presence of alcohol decreased with respect to 1996. More specifically, the number of fatalities in crashes where the blood alcohol concentration (BAC) level was at .1 or above decreased by 3.5 percent, and a larger decrease of 5.9 percent occurred in crashes where the BAC level was between .01 and .09. Fatalities increased by 2.5 percent in crashes where no alcohol was present.

Location
The number of crashes occurring on roads with a posted speed limit below 55 mph decreased by about 2.4 percent, roads posted at 55 mph and above show an increase of about 2.8 percent. Crash injuries decreased by 2.6 percent on all roads combined with a posted speed below 55 mph, and increased by about 1.2 percent on roads posted at 55 mph and higher speed limits. All roads with a posted speed limit under 55 mph had about a 2.4 percent average decrease in fatalities from 1996 while the increase was 1.7 percent on roads posted at 55 mph and higher speeds.

Fatalities increased by 3.8 percent over 1996 in rural areas and decreased by 5.7 percent in urban areas. Fatalities increased by 5 percent on the Interstate system and by 1.6 percent on the U.S. routes that are not part of the Interstate system. The combination of state and county roads experienced an average decrease of less than 1 percent. Fatalities on local and other roads decreased by 1.8 percent.

Drivers
An estimated 12,088,470 drivers were involved in police-reported crashes in 1997, a decrease of about 1.1 percent from 1996. About 2,182,660 drivers suffered some type of injury and an additional 24,860 were fatally injured, a 2.3 percent decrease over 1996 for the number of driver injuries and a 1.3 percent increase for the number of driver fatalities. The number of drivers involved in fatal crashes in 1997 was 57,000, about the same number as in 1996. The proportions of male and female drivers in fatal crashes remained almost the same as in 1996. Between 1980 and 1997, the number of male drivers in fatal crashes has decreased by 20 percent while female drivers involved in fatal crashes experienced an increase of 28 percent.

Between 1996 and 1997, the number of drivers of motorcycles involved in fatal crashes decreased by 3 percent, while the number of drivers of passenger cars also decreased by 2.4 percent. During the same period the number of drivers involved in fatal crashes increased by almost 2.7 percent for light trucks and vans, while medium and heavy trucks combined experienced no change.

The number of driver fatalities increased by 1.3 percent overall, with males showing a 1 percent decrease and females a 2 percent increase. For drivers over 65 years of age, the number of fatalities increased by 6 percent, while driver fatalities in the younger groups showed no change.

Passengers
The number of passengers injured in traffic crashes is estimated at 1,125,890, a very small increase over 1996. The number of passengers that died in motor vehicle crashes is estimated at 11,040, 1 percent fewer than in 1996. The number of occupant fatalities remained the same as in 1996. The number of occupant fatalities decreased by 1 percent in passenger cars, increased by 4 percent in light trucks, and increased by 16 percent for medium and heavy trucks. Motorcycle driver and passenger fatalities, combined, also decreased by 3 percent.

Nonoccupants
About 76,550 pedestrians were injured in crashes during 1997, a 6 percent decrease from the previous year. The number of pedestrians killed in 1997 was 5,300, about 5 percent lower than in 1996. Since 1980, pedestrian fatalities have decreased by 32 percent, the decrease being similar for both males and females. The number of bicyclists injured in 1997 is estimated at 64,900, a 7 percent decrease from 1996. The estimated 800 bicyclist fatalities for 1997 is 5 percent higher than in 1996. Since 1980, bicyclist fatalities have decreased by 17 percent.

Source: NHTSA report authored by Ezio Cerrelli. Copies of the full report are available at NHTSA by calling, 1-800-934-8517.