The fatality rate on the nation's highways in 2004 was the lowest since record-keeping began 30 years ago, according to a recent analysis by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.
“Drivers are safer today on our nation's highways than they have ever been, in part because of the safer cars, higher safety-belt use, and stronger safety laws that this department has helped champion,” said Secretary of Transportation Norman Y. Mineta.
Last year in the United States, 42,636 people were killed in vehicular accidents, down from 42,884 in 2003. The fatality rate per 100 million vehicle miles traveled was 1.46 in 2004, down from 1.48 in 2003. The fatality rate has been steadily improving since 1966 when 50,894 people died and the rate was 5.5, NHTSA noted. At the same time, drivers have increased their vehicle miles traveled, to 2.92 trillion in 2004, up from 2.89 trillion in 2003.”
Since 2001, the number of states with primary safety-belt laws has increased to 22, along with the District of Columbia and Puerto Rico, leading to an 80 percent safety-belt use level, the highest ever. In 2004, 55 percent of those killed in passenger vehicles were not wearing safety belts. In addition, all states, plus the District of Columbia and Puerto Rico, now have 0.08 blood alcohol laws for drivers.
Not all the news is good, however. NHTSA's Fatality Analysis Reporting System also shows that, between 2003 and 2004, motorcycle fatalities increased from 3,714 to 4,008, an 8 percent rise, and rollover deaths among passenger vehicle occupants increased 1.1 percent, from 10,442 to 10,553. Despite an increase in media attention to the poor safety ratings of sport utility vehicles, total fatalities in sport utility vehicle accidents increased 5.6 percent, from 4,483 to 4735, while fatalities in passenger cars, pickup trucks, and vans decreased a total of 834.
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