A preview of results from the 2006 Annual Assessment of Motor Vehicle Traffic Crash Fatalities and Injuries shows that the number of people killed in the United States in motor vehicle traffic crashes declined from 43,510 in 2005 to 42,642, the lowest level in five years.  This decline is the largest in terms of both number and percentage since 1992.  The preview data (see Table 1) shows the decline in fatalities occurred for passenger car occupants, light-truck occupants, and nonmotorists (pedestrian and pedalcyclists).  The drop in passenger car occupant fatalities was for the fourth year in a row, while the drop in light-truck occupant fatalities was the first since 1992.However, motorcycle rider fatalities continued their nine-year increase, reaching 4,810 in 2006.  Motorcycle rider fatalities now account for 11 percent of total fatalities, exceeding the number of pedestrian fatalities for the first time since NHTSA began collecting fatal motor vehicle crash data in 1975.

 The preview also shows that the estimate of the number of people injured in motor vehicle traffic crashes declined for the seventh year in a row (see Chart 2, overleaf).  In 2006 just under 2.6 million people were injured compared to nearly 2.7 million in 2005 (see Table 2).  The preview data shows that the number of people injured declined in all categories except motorcycle riders and that the decline was highest for large-truck occupants and passenger car occupants.

 
In other important results, the preview shows that the Motor Vehicle Traffic Crash Fatality Rate per 100 million vehicle miles traveled (VMT) dropped to 1.42 (Table 3).  This is the lowest rate recorded by the Department of Transportation (Chart 1, overleaf).  The overall injury rate also declined.  The 2006 rates are based on the latest (March 2007) Traffic Volume Trend estimates from the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA), which showed that 2006 VMT increased by 0.2 percent over 2005 VMT – from 2.989 trillion to 2.996 trillion FHWA will update the VMT data later during the year with its official release of the Annual Highway Statistics for 2006.

 

Also, fatalities in alcohol-related crashes in 2006 remained essentially the same as in 2005 (Table 4).  Alcohol-related fatalities in crashes where the highest blood alcohol concentration (BAC) was .08 grams per deciliter (g/dL) or greater increased by only 0.1 percent. The data indicate that declines in fatalities between 2005 and 2006 were essentially in crashes where there was no alcohol involvement.

 

Table 1: Motorists and Nonmotorists Killed in Traffic Crashes
Description	2005	2006	Change	% Change
Total*	43,510	42,642	-868	-2.0%
Motorists Killed in
Passenger Vehicles	31,549	30,521	-1,028	-3.3%
Passenger Cars	18,512	17,800	-712	-3.8%
Light Trucks	13,037	12,721	-316	-2.4%
Large Trucks	804	805	+1	+0.1%
Motorcycles	4,576	4,810	+234	+5.1%
Nonmotorists Killed
Pedestrians	4,892	4,784	-108	-2.2%
Pedalcyclists	786	773	-13	-1.7%
Other/Unknown	186	183	-3	-1.6%
Source: FARS 2005 [Final], 2006 Annual Report File [ARF] * Total includes other/unknown occupants not shown in table

 
 

Table 3: Fatality and Injury Rates per 100M VMT
Measure	2005	2006	Change	% Change
Fatality Rate	1.46	1.42	-0.04	-2.7%
Injury Rate	90	86	-4	-4.4%
Source: FARS, GES, and FHWA VMT (March 2007 TVT)

 

able 2: Motorists and Nonmotorists Injured in Traffic Crashes
Description	2005	2006	Change	% Change
Total*	2,699,000	2,575,000	-124,000	-4.6%
Motorists Injured in
Passenger Vehicles	2,446,000	2,331,000	-115,000	-4.7%
Passenger Cars	1,573,000	1,475,000	-98,000	-6.2%
Light Trucks	872,000	857,000	-15,000	-1.7%
Large Trucks	27,000	23,000	-4,000	-15%
Motorcycles	87,000	88,000	+1,000	+1.1%
Nonmotorists Injured
Pedestrians	64,000	61,000	-3,000	-4.7%
Pedalcyclists	45,000	44,000	-1,000	-2.2%
Other/Unknown	8,000	7,000	-1,000	-13%
Source: NASS GES 2005, 2006 Annual Files * Total includes other/unknown occupants not shown in table Numbers in bold are statistically significant.

 

Table 4: Fatalities by Highest BAC in the Crash
BAC Level	2005	2006	Change	% Change
BAC .01+	17,590	17,602	+12	+0.1%
BAC .08+	15,102	15,121	+19	+0.1%
Source: FARS 2005 [Final], 2006 Annual Report File [ARF]