Auto Crash Fatalities, Injuries in Decline Nationally

A report released in December 2014 by federal transportation officials shows that motor vehicle crash fatalities decreased in the United States in 2013 compared with the previous year.

The report issued by the U.S. Department of Transportation’s National Highway Traffic Safety Administration shows that 32,719 people in died in traffic crashes during 2013, down from 33,782 in 2012. The number of people injured on U.S. roadways also decreased in 2013, falling from 2.4 to 2.3 million injured people.

Almost all segments of the population saw declines in vehicle-related fatalities and injuries, the overview of 2013 vehicle crashes shows, including passenger vehicle occupants, large-truck occupants, pedestrians and young drivers.

Alcohol-impaired driving fatalities decreased by 2.5 percent from 2012 to 2013. They accounted for 31 percent overall traffic fatalities in 2013.

The number of motorcyclists who died in roadway crashes in 2013 was down nationally by more than 6 percent from 2012.

While the number of vehicle-related fatalities and injuries fell in 2013 compared to 2012, the total the total number of crashes increased slightly — primarily due to an almost 3 percent increase in crashes that resulted in property damage but no injuries.

With the exception of 2012, during which there was an uptick vehicle-related deaths and injuries, the national decline in 2013 continues a trend that began in 2006, according to NHTSA’s Fatality Analysis Reporting System (FARS).