95.5% of college graduates drove at least occasionally, whereas 73.1% of residents who did not graduate from high school did. These are the areas 10 feet in front of the bus, 10 feet behind it, and 10 feet to either side of it. One study found that the average parent driver took his or her eyes off the road for three minutes and 22 seconds during a 16-minute trip. In Ohio and Illinois, the cost of car insurance increased by 44% and 49% respectively. A crash or death is likely to happen every half hour. (University of Iowa, 2000), The common cold can increase a driver’s reaction time about as much as a blood alcohol concentration (BAC) of 0.08% (which constitutes legal intoxication in most states). (IIHS, 2019), In 2018, bicyclist deaths were highest (21%) from 6 p.m. to 9 p.m. (IIHS, 2019), In 2018, 63% of bicyclist deaths occurred on major roads other than interstates and freeways, and 29% occurred on minor roads. (Texas A&M Transportation Institute, 2019), Over 50% of the five million yearly car crashes in the United States are caused by aggressive drivers, with speeding being the most prevalent contributor to this statistic. (Automobile Magazine, 2016), In 2016, an estimated 2,756 lives were saved due to the use of frontal airbags in passenger cars. (Business Insider, 2016), Truck driving is also the most dangerous occupation in the United States, with 28.3 fatal injuries per 100,000 full-time workers in 2018. (Business Insider, 2016), Truck drivers work 70 hours in an 8-day work week before getting a day off vs. 47 hours per week for an average American. (NHTSA, 2017), About one in three traffic deaths in the United States involve a driver with a blood alcohol concentration (BAC) of 0.08% or higher. His analysis has been featured in Forbes, MSN and USA News, among others. (Government of Canada), Highway-rail grade crossing collisions and pedestrian trespass on tracks together constitute over 95% of all railroad fatalities in the United States. DMV practice tests for every US state. (IIHS, 2017), The most common types of teen crashes involve left-hand turns, rear-end events, and running off the road. (FMCSA, 2016), In 2018, crashes of large trucks accounted for 11% of all motor vehicle crash deaths. In 2016, 90.0% of male US residents drove at least occasionally, whereas 86.6% of female residents did. (IIHS, 2019), Although bicyclists' traffic deaths have decreased by 15% since 1975, they have increased by 38% since reaching their lowest point in 2010. (NHTSA, 2018), 61% percent of bicyclists killed in 2018 were not wearing helmets. 42% of pedestrians 16 and older killed in nighttime (9 p.m. to 6 a.m.) crashes in 2018 had blood alcohol concentrations (BACs) at or above 0.08%, compared with 61% in 1982. Males accounted for 71% of passenger vehicle driver deaths, 48% of passenger vehicle passenger deaths, 97% of large truck driver deaths, 71% of large truck passenger deaths, 69% of pedestrian deaths, 86% of bicyclist deaths, and 91% of motorcyclist deaths. These estimations include not just the single date a holiday falls on (December 25th, for example), but also days of the week around the focal day, especially when Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays were close. (NHTSA, 2018), Teens do not consider driving at 5 to 10 mph above the speed limit to be dangerous. (National General Insurance, 2011) Another study found that nearly 40% would fail it. (Transport Accident Commission, 2018), Driving while sleepy can make a driver approximately two-and-a-half times as likely to have a motor vehicle accident. (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 2016. (WHO, 2018), For 2016, US traffic fatalities increased by an estimated additional 6% totaling more than 40,000 for the first time since 2007. Local roadways saw nearly 24% of the total crashes that occured nationwide as a result of alcohol-impaired driving. (Virginia Tech Transportation Institute, 2016), In 2017, among people of ages 16 or older, 12.8 million drove after using illicit drugs. Drunk drivers face jail time when they're caught, and the financial impact is devastating. (AAA, 2019), Since older drivers are more fragile, their fatality rates are 17 times higher than those of 25- to 64-year-olds. All Rights Reserved. (IIHS, 2019), 40% of pedestrian deaths among people 70 and older in 2018 occurred at intersections, compared with 22% for those younger than 70. (NHTSA, 2006), Teens aged 15-20 without driver education are responsible for 91% of teen driver crashes. (Oregon DOT, 2018), In the US, the fatal crash rate per mile driven for drivers ages 16-19 is nearly triple the rate for drivers ages 20 and over. This means that alcohol-impaired drivers were responsible for about 36% of the total traffic deaths that occured on county roads. Car, motorcycle, and commercial driver's license (CDL). The portion grows to 10.8% in more severe crashes. (New York Times, 2016), One survey of drivers in six countries found that 35% admitted to changing their clothes while driving, 13% admitted to applying makeup while driving, and 15% admitted to engaging in sexual activity while driving. (WHO, 2018), Young adults aged 15-44 account for more than half of all road traffic deaths. (NHTSA, 2017), Restraint use differed by vehicle type: 60% of drivers of pickup trucks, 53% of SUV drivers, 42% of passenger car drivers, and 37% of van drivers who were killed were unrestrained. (SaferAmerica, 2019), 58% of police-reported fatal car accidents in the US involved only one vehicle. In contrast, 28% of the fatally injured motorcyclists in 2018 were younger than 30, compared with 80% in 1975. Some crashes involved both a tractor-trailer and a single-unit truck. Looking for the latest driving stats and trends? Thousands of deaths are a result of alcohol-impaired crashes annually, but over the past almost 40 years, the percentage of alcohol-impired crashes has decreased by 12%. (Everquote, 2016), Drivers speed at least 10 mph more than half of the time. of passenger vehicle occupants killed in the US were unrestrained. The largest price surge happened in North Carolina, where a sample driver experienced an increase of nearly 300%, from $1,576 to $6,238. (AAA Foundation for Traffic Safety, 2018), In 2018, 8.02% of US households owned motorcycles. (NHTSA, 2016), Although four to six school-age children die each year on school transportation vehicles, that's less than 1% of all traffic fatalities nationwide. Every year in the United States, about 2,000 motorcyclists are killed and about 50,000 are seriously injured in this type of crash. (National Institute on Drug Abuse, 2016), On average, three in five people will be involved in a crash due to impaired driving in their lifetime. (Bureau of Labor Statistics, 2018), As of 2016, there are approximately 687,200 bus drivers employed in the United States. (University of Sydney Australia et al., 2011), Europe has found that motorcycle antilock braking systems (ABS) significantly reduce the risk of crashes involving injury to the rider. Although a driver may not exhibit any of the warning signs of being drunk, they are equally as dangerous. Relative to all traffic deaths, North Dakota had the largest percentage of fatalities resulting from drunk driving of any state. (IIHS, 2019), Globally, car accidents are the leading cause of death among young adults ages 15-29 - and the ninth leading cause of death for all people. In the nation's capital, alcohol-impaired driving caused 33% of all traffic deaths, though only 423 people were killed in total. (CBS News, 2019), The median annual wage for taxi drivers, ride-hailing drivers, and chauffeurs was $24,880 in May 2017. (SafeMotorist.com, 2019), 2% of drivers admit to trying to run an aggressor off the road at least once. (NHTSA, 2017), Per mile traveled, fatal crash rates increase beginning at age 75 and rise sharply after age 80. The decline in traffic deaths since 1975 among female bicyclists (38%) was triple the decline among male bicyclists (12%). (IIHS, 2018), Boys are more likely to suffer fatal MVC injuries than girls; 61% of fatalities are among boys and 39% among girls. The U.S. Department of Health and Social Services cites 26.4% of minors 12 to 20 drank, and 17.4% had been binge drinking. (IIHS, 2009), One study found that 18% of licensed American drivers would fail the knowledge test for a learner’s permit (if they had to retake it. Injuries also jumped up by 7% from 2015, estimated at 4.6 million. (CDC, 2018), In 2018, the rate of pedestrian deaths per 100,000 population was highest for pedestrians ages 80-84. It takes a driver an average of five seconds to send a text message. (Chicago Tribune, 2017), 96% of surveyed drivers consider themselves a safe driver, but 56% admit to using the phone while driving. (TeenSafe, 2018), Speeding killed 10,111 people in the US in 2016, accounting for more than a quarter (27%) of all traffic fatalities. (Virginia Tech Transportation Institute, 2016), Reading or writing increased the risk of crashing by 10 times. On average, a DUI can set you back $10,000 in attorney’s fees, fines, court costs, lost time at work, higher insurance rates, car towing, and more. (IIHS, 2018), In Canada, in 2017, there were 5.0 traffic fatalities per 100,000 population. (Consumer Reports, 2017), Drunk driving costs the United States $199 billion every year (MADD, 2017), Alcohol-impaired driving accounts for more than 30% of all driving fatalities each year. (National Sleep Foundation, 2018), Drivers missing 2-3 hours of sleep in 24 hours more than quadrupled their risk of a crash compared with drivers getting the recommended seven hours of sleep. (AAA, 2019), Except for teen drivers, seniors have the highest crash death rate per mile driven, even though they drive fewer miles than younger people. (American Trucking Associations, 2020), In 2018, there were 3.5 million truck drivers employed in the United States. (USA Today, 2016), 50 mg of diphenhydramine (a popular over-the-counter antihistamine) can impair your driving more than a blood alcohol concentration (BAC) of 0.10%. (IIHS, 2019), The rate of fatalities per capita among older people has decreased by 43% since 1975. (The standard error for this estimate is 0.3%.) (TeenSafe, 2018), 61% of drivers say texting is only acceptable if they have a hands-free, voice-activated option; 34% say if it's an emergency; 24% say never. This compensation may impact how and where offers appear on this site (including, for example, the order in which they appear). Policies in California and Michigan also rose by more than 100% after a drunk-driving citation, with the price increasing in Michigan by more than 200%. (FHWA, 2019), 48% of motorcyclists involved in single-vehicle crashes had been speeding. In 2018, there were 5.2 traffic fatalities per 100,000 population. (Virtual Drive, 2019), With 45% to 60% effectiveness, seat belts are the single most effective means of reducing the risk of death in a crash and have saved nearly 300,000 lives since 1975 in the United States alone. County roads were responsible for a large share of roadway fatalities. (EU Mobility & Transport, 2019), In Europe, older drivers are over-represented in crashes at intersections. The amount of money spent on motor vehicle crashes in the United States is double the amount of money the federal government sets aside for spending on veterans.