Traffic Safety Facts Research Note: Highlights of 2009 Motor Vehicle Crashes

摘要

In 2009, 33,808 people died in motor vehicle traffic crashes in the United States--the lowest number of deaths since 1950 (33,186 fatalities in 1950). This was a 9.7-percent decline in the number of people killed, from 37,423 in 2008 to 33,808, according to NHTSA's 2009 Fatality Analysis Reporting System (FARS). Fatalities declined among all categories of vehicle occupants and nonoccupants. Motorcyclist fatalities broke the continuous 11-year increase with a large decline of 850 fatalities (24% of the total decline of 3,615). Motorcyclist fatalities now account for 13 percent of total fatalities. Passenger car occupant fatalities declined for the seventh consecutive year, and are at their lowest level since NHTSA began collecting fatality crash data in 1975. Light-truck occupant fatalities dropped for the fourth consecutive year, and are at their lowest level since 1997. The largest percentage reduction of people killed was among large-truck occupants (26%) compared to any other vehicle category, followed by motorcyclists with a 16-percent reduction.