According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration there are about 43,000 people killed in deadly car accidents each year in the United States. Approximately, 40 percent of the fatal crashes are alcohol-related. In addition to fatal accidents, about 2.9 million people are injured each year.

Fatal Crash Statistics By Year

Total Traffic Crashes In the United States	2005	2004	2003	2002	2001	2000	1999	1998	1997
Fatal Vehicle Crashes	39,189	38,444	38,477	38,491	38,862	37,526	37,140	37,107	37,324
Fatality Totals:
Drivers	27,472	28,871	26,779	26,659	25,869	25,567	25,257	24,743	24,667
Passengers	10,036	10,355	10,458	10,604	10,469	10,695	10,521	10,530	10,944
Other	86	78	104	112	102	86	97	109	114
Sub-total	37,594	37,304	37,341	37,375	36,440	36,348	35,875	35,382	35,725
Non-Motorists Killed
Pedestrians	4,881	4,675	4,774	4,851	4,901	4,763	4,939	5,228	5,321
Bicyclists	784	727	629	665	732	693	754	760	814
Other	184	130	140	114	123	141	149	131	153
Total Killed	43,443	42,836	42,884	43,005	42,196	41,945	41,717	41,501	42,013

Did You Know?

• The nonoccupant fatality rate per 100,000 population has declined by 54.4 percent from 1975 to 2007.
• Large trucks accounted for 8 percent of the vehicles in fatal crashes, but only 3 percent of the vehicles involved in injury crashes and 5 percent of the vehicles involved in property-damage-only crashes. Of the 4,584 large trucks involved in fatal crashes, 74 percent were combination trucks.
• Thirty-two percent of all fatal crashes involved alcohol-impaired driving, where the highest blood alcohol concentration (BAC) among drivers involved in the crash was .08 grams per deciliter (g/dL) or higher. For fatal crashes occurring from midnight to 3 a.m., 65 percent involved alcohol-impaired driving

Crashes statistics:

• More than 6 million police-reported motor vehicle crashes occurred in the United States in 2007. Nearly 30 percent of those crashes (1.71 million) resulted in an injury, and fewer than 1 percent (37,248) resulted in a death.
• Fifty-nine percent of fatal crashes involved only one vehicle, as compared with 33 percent of injury crashes and 31 percent of property-damage-only crashes.
• Half of all fatal crashes in 2007 occurred on roads with posted speed limits of 55 mph or more, as compared with 23 percent of injury and property-damage-only crashes.
• Midnight to 3 a.m. on Saturdays and Sundays proved to be the deadliest 3-hour periods throughout 2007, with 1,251 and 1,383 fatal crashes, respectively.
• Thirty-two percent of all fatal crashes involved alcohol-impaired driving, where the highest blood alcohol concentration (BAC) among drivers involved in the crash was .08 grams per deciliter (g/dL) or higher. For fatal crashes occurring from midnight to 3 a.m., 65 percent involved alcohol-impaired driving.
• More than 6.1 million police-reported motor vehicle crashes occurred in the United States in 2005. Almost one-third of these crashes resulted in an injury, with less than 1 percent of total crashes (39,189) resulting in a death.
• Midnight to 3 a.m. on Saturdays and Sundays proved to be the deadliest 3-hour periods throughout 2005, with 1,320 and 1,275 fatal crashes, respectively.
• Fifty-eight percent of fatal crashes involved only one vehicle, compared to 31 percent of injury crashes and 31 percent of property-damage-only crashes.
• More than half of fatal crashes occurred on roads with posted speed limits of 55 mph or more, while only 23 percent of property-damage-only crashes occurred on these roads.
• Collision with another motor vehicle in transport was the most common first harmful event for fatal, injury, and property-damage-only crashes. Collisions with fixed objects and noncollisions accounted for only 19 percent of all crashes, but they accounted for 44 percent of fatal crashes.

Vehicles statistics:

• The proportion of vehicles that rolled over in fatal crashes (21.5 percent) was nearly 4 times as high as the proportion in injury crashes (5.8 percent) and nearly 17 times as high as the proportion in property-damage-only crashes (1.3 percent).

• Fires occurred in 0.1 percent of the vehicles involved in all traffic crashes in 2007. For fatal crashes, however, fires occurred in 3 percent of the vehicles involved.

• Compared with other vehicle types, utility vehicles experienced the highest rollover rates in fatal crashes (33.7 percent) and in injury crashes (10.2 percent). Large trucks, pickups, and utility vehicles experienced the highest rollover rates in property-damage-only crashes (2.2 percent).

• Large trucks accounted for 8 percent of the vehicles in fatal crashes, but only 3 percent of the vehicles involved in injury crashes and 5 percent of the vehicles involved in property-damage-only crashes. Of the 4,584 large trucks involved in fatal crashes, 74 percent were combination trucks.

• Motorcycles in fatal crashes had the highest proportion of collisions with fixed objects (25.2 percent), and large trucks in fatal crashes had the lowest proportion (3.5 percent).

• More than 94 percent of the 11 million vehicles involved in motor vehicle crashes in 2005 were passenger cars or light trucks.

• Large trucks accounted for 8 percent of the vehicles in fatal crashes, but only 3 percent of the vehicles involved in injury crashes and 5 percent of the vehicles involved in property-damage-only crashes. Of the 4,932 large trucks involved in fatal crashes, 74 percent were combination trucks.

• The proportion of vehicles that rolled over in fatal crashes (21.1 percent) was 4 times as high as the proportion in injury crashes (5.3 percent) and 16 times as high as the proportion in property-damage-only crashes (1.3 percent).

• Compared with other vehicle types, utility vehicles experienced the highest rollover rates in fatal crashes (35.4 percent) and in property-damage-only crashes (2.6 percent). Large trucks experienced the highest rollover rate in injury crashes (9.9 percent).

• Fires occurred in 0.1 percent of the vehicles involved in all traffic crashes in 2005. For fatal crashes, however, fires occurred in 3 percent of the vehicles involved.