Car Crash Facts

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Although the number of vehicle fatalities in the United States has declined steadily since 1950, traffic accidents in 2009 killed more than 33,808 Americans.

It may surprise you to know that vehicle accident fatalities and injuries are on the decline in the United States. The fact is, fatalities reported in 2009 represent the lowest number since 1950. Yet, when we add up all the figures, it is easy to understand why vehicle accidents remain a terrifying threat to drivers, passengers, and pedestrians of all ages, in every state. Numbers don’t lie.

Here are some staggering national statistics based on the 5.5 million vehicle crashes reported in the 2009 Traffic Safety Annual Assessment by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA):

  • 33,808 total people killed
  • 13,095 killed in passenger car accidents
  • 10,287 killed in light truck crashes
  • 4,462 motorcycle deaths
  • 4,092 pedestrians killed
  • 630 pedalcyclist deaths (in non-motorized vehicles, such as bicycles)

In addition to those whose lives were extinguished by traffic accidents in 2009, another 2.2 million people were injured in vehicle crashes:

  • 1.2 million drivers or occupants of passenger cars
  • 759,000 drivers or passengers in light trucks
  • 17,000 occupants of large trucks
  • 90,000 motorcyclists
  • 59,000 pedestrians
  • 51,000 pedalcyclists

If you live in Florida, the Florida Department of Highway Safety and Motor Vehicles reports similarly positive trends toward declining traffic fatalities. In 2009, 2,558 people were killed in traffic-related accidents – the second year in a row that Florida traffic deaths have been below 3,000. And yet there are two alarming statistics for Florida: drinking and driving continues to contribute to nearly a third of traffic deaths; and teenage drivers between 15 and 19 continue to have the highest rate of crash involvement.

Alcohol-impaired driving – DUI for short – accounted for 32% of total vehicle crash fatalities in 2009. On average, that means that one alcohol-impaired-driving death occurred every 48 minutes.

Not a day goes by without newspaper and television headlines about tragic crashes caused by drunk drivers. Each year, there are more than 10,000 Americans who would be still alive if a driver had not decided to drive drunk. Of the 10,839 fatalities in 2009, 7,281 (67%) were drivers with a blood alcohol level of .08 or higher, the legal definition of DUI in most states. The remaining 2,891 people who died were innocent victims.

States where drunk driving deaths were the highest percentage of total fatalities in 2009 were Hawaii (48%), Connecticut (44%), Washington (42%), South Carolina (42%), Texas (40%), Kansas (40%) Pennsylvania (40%), and South Dakata (40%).