Table 2-18: Motor Vehicle Fatalities, Vehicle-Miles, and Associated Rates by Highway Functional System

1980
Fatalities
Rural, total
Interstate
Other arterialsa
Collectorb
Local
Urban, total
Interstate
Other arterialsa
Collector
Local
Vehicle-miles of travel (VMT) (millions)
Rural, total
Interstate
Other arterialsa
Collectorb
Local
Urban, total
Interstate
Other arterialsa
Collector
Local
Fatality rates per 100 million vehicle miles
Rural, total
Interstate
Other arterialsa
Collectorb
Local
Urban, total
Interstate
Other arterialsa
Collectorb
Local

1985

1990

1995

1996

1997

1998

1999

2000

2001

2002

2003

2004

2005

2006

2007

2008

29,545

24,492

25,786

23,978

24,510

24,889

24,751

25,185

23,640

23,396

25,693

25,203

24,740

23,549

23,099

22,707

20,807

2,263
12,268

2,141
9,940

2,707
9,893

2,675
9,947

2,905
9,458

3,033
9,821

3,105
9,594

3,244
9,573

3,199
8,913

3,105
8,692

3,297
9,358

3,241
9,823

3,246
10,061

3,216
8,968

2,870
8,768

2,658
8,758

2,416
7,873

10,004
5,010
21,546

8,209
4,202
19,333

8,852
4,334
18,813

7,401
3,955
17,839

7,481
4,666
17,555

7,578
4,457
17,078

7,593
4,459
16,143

7,595
4,773
15,970

7,147
4,381
15,695

7,305
4,294
15,219

7,974
5,064
16,759

7,726
4,413
16,825

7,353
4,080
17,161

7,154
4,211
17,752

7,242
4,219
18,309

7,027
4,264
17,467

6,491
4,027
15,956

2,184
12,752
2,226

2,025
12,521
1,696

2,252
11,742
1,427

2,154
10,916
1,441

2,323
10,756
1,290

2,281
10,243
1,399

2,283
9,902
1,037

2,353
9,628
1,031

2,388
9,442
987

2,371
8,838
1,007

2,452
9,702
1,136

2,374
9,827
1,197

2,516
10,003
1,339

2,658
10,413
1,361

2,619
10,672
1,478

2,608
9,876
1,437

2,259
9,056
1,239

4,384

3,091

3,392

3,328

3,186

3,155

2,921

2,958

2,878

3,003

3,469

3,427

3,303

3,320

3,540

3,546

3,402

672,030

730,728

868,878

933,289

960,194

999,277

1,032,528

1,062,623

1,083,152

1,109,363

1,127,394

1,084,443

1,068,426

1,032,426

1,037,146

1,032,790

988,235

135,084
262,774
189,468

154,357
282,803
206,669

200,173
330,866
240,460

223,382
368,595
236,148

232,565
378,847
241,030

240,255
392,057
254,100

251,520
403,484
257,868

260,166
413,320
264,453

268,180
420,599
267,231

273,619
427,482
272,074

280,609
433,930
274,869

269,650
417,299
262,799

266,245
409,413
260,664

256,642
396,455
250,701

257,915
394,582
251,367

256,438
393,465
246,927

243,221
374,235
236,954

84,704
855,265
161,242

86,899
1,044,098
216,188

97,379
1,275,484
278,901

105,164
1,489,534
341,528

107,752
1,523,886
351,579

112,865
1,552,956
361,433

119,656
1,595,620
374,622

124,684
1,627,618
383,259

127,142
1,663,773
393,465

136,188
1,686,247
399,986

137,986
1,728,114
409,208

134,695
1,805,778
432,757

132,104
1,896,362
455,538

128,628
1,957,004
470,925

133,282
1,977,225
477,287

135,960
1,998,334
483,315

133,825
1,988,293
476,114

484,189
83,043
126,791

578,270
89,578
160,062

699,233
106,297
191,053

815,170
126,929
205,907

834,623
129,310
208,374

846,627
130,146
214,750

862,996
131,905
226,097

878,153
131,603
234,603

900,392
135,372
234,544

913,936
137,921
234,404

937,935
141,964
239,007

974,933
154,453
243,635

1,021,705
162,218
256,901

1,051,088
170,265
264,726

1,060,266
173,216
266,456

1,067,127
175,966
271,926

1,061,589
177,140
273,450

4.40
1.68

3.35
1.39

2.97
1.35

2.57
1.20

2.55
1.25

2.49
1.26

2.40
1.23

2.37
1.25

2.18
1.19

2.11
1.13

2.28
1.17

2.32
1.20

2.32
1.22

2.28
1.25

2.23
1.11

2.20
1.04

2.11
0.99

4.67
5.28
5.91

3.51
3.97
4.84

2.99
3.68
4.45

2.70
3.13
3.76

2.50
3.10
4.33

2.50
2.98
3.95

2.38
2.94
3.73

2.32
2.87
3.83

2.12
2.67
3.45

2.03
2.68
3.15

2.16
2.90
3.67

2.35
2.94
3.28

2.46
2.82
3.09

2.26
2.85
3.27

2.22
2.88
3.17

2.23
2.85
3.14

2.10
2.74
3.01

2.52
1.35
2.63

1.85
0.94
2.17

1.47
0.81
1.68

1.20
0.63
1.34

1.15
0.66
1.29

1.10
0.63
1.21

1.01
0.61
1.15

0.98
0.61
1.10

0.94
0.61
1.05

0.90
0.59
0.97

0.97
0.60
1.03

0.93
0.55
1.01

0.90
0.55
0.98

0.91
0.56
0.99

0.93
0.55
1.01

0.87
0.54
0.93

0.80
0.47
0.85

2.68
3.46

1.89
1.93

1.34
1.78

1.14
1.62

1.00
1.53

1.07
1.47

0.79
1.29

0.78
1.26

0.73
1.23

0.73
1.28

0.80
1.45

0.77
1.41

0.83
1.29

0.80
1.25

0.85
1.33

0.82
1.30

0.70
1.24

Urban Other arterials for all years and Rural Other arterials for 2009 and 2010 are the sum of other freeways and expressways, other principal arterials, and minor arterials. Rural Other
arterials for all other years are the sum of other principal arterials and minor arterials.
b
Collector is the sum of major and minor collectors.
a

NOTES
Includes the 50 states and the District of Columbia.
Fatalities data reflect original numbers received by the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA). Thus, the Fatalities data
in this table could be slightly different from the revised NHTSA numbers that appear in other tables in this volume.
SOURCES
Fatalities:
1980-95: U.S. Department of Transportation, Federal Highway Administration, Highway Statistics Summary to 1995 (Washington, DC: July 1997), table FI-220, available at
http://www.fhwa.dot.gov/policyinformation/statistics.cfm as of Apr. 20, 2011.
1996-97: Ibid., Highway Statistics (Washington, DC: Annual Issues), table FI-1, available at http://www.fhwa.dot.gov/policyinformation/statistics.cfm as of Apr. 20, 2011.
1998-2011: Ibid., Highway Statistics (Washington, DC: Annual Issues), table FI-20, available at http://www.fhwa.dot.gov/policyinformation/statistics.cfm as of May 1, 2013.
Vehicle miles:
U.S. Department of Transportation, Federal Highway Administration, Highway Statistics (Washington, DC: Annual Issues), table VM-202, available at
http://www.fhwa.dot.gov/policyinformation/statistics.cfm as of May 1, 2013.
Fatality rates:
Calculated by the U.S. Department of Transportation, Research and Innovative Technology Administration, Bureau of Transportation Statistics.