U.S. Department of Energy - Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy
Vehicle Technologies Office
Fact #506: February 18, 2008
Declining Rate of Highway Fatalities and Injuries is Good News for Safety and Congestion Mitigation
From 1988 to 2006, vehicle miles traveled (VMT) has increased by 48 percent, however, the rate of injuries and fatalities has continually decreased over this same period. This is a positive trend not just for safety advocates but also from a congestion standpoint. A considerable amount of time and fuel is wasted each year due to congestion. In the 2007 Urban Mobility Report, the Texas Transportation Institute said that "safety problems and congested locations were very similar and solutions to one problem usually improved the other condition as well." This reduced rate of accidents helps to counter the negative effect that increased VMT has on congestion.
Injuries per 100 Million Vehicle Miles Traveled and VMT, 1988-2006 
Fatalities per 100 Million Vehicle Miles Traveled, 1988-2006 
Supporting Information
Fatality and Injury Rates, 1988-2006
| Year |
Vehicle Miles Traveled (Billions) |
Injury Rate per
100 Million Vehicle Miles Traveled |
Fatality Rate per
100 Million Vehicle Miles Traveled |
| 1988 |
2,026 |
169 |
2.32 |
| 1989 |
2,096 |
157 |
2.17 |
| 1990 |
2,144 |
151 |
2.08 |
| 1991 |
2,172 |
143 |
1.91 |
| 1992 |
2,247 |
137 |
1.75 |
| 1993 |
2,296 |
137 |
1.75 |
| 1994 |
2,358 |
139 |
1.73 |
| 1995 |
2,423 |
143 |
1.73 |
| 1996 |
2,486 |
140 |
1.69 |
| 1997 |
2,562 |
131 |
1.64 |
| 1998 |
2,632 |
121 |
1.58 |
| 1999 |
2,691 |
120 |
1.55 |
| 2000 |
2,747 |
116 |
1.53 |
| 2001 |
2,797 |
108 |
1.51 |
| 2002 |
2,856 |
102 |
1.51 |
| 2003 |
2,890 |
100 |
1.48 |
| 2004 |
2,965 |
94 |
1.44 |
| 2005 |
2,990 |
90 |
1.46 |
| 2006 |
2,996 |
86 |
1.42 |
|
Source: 2006 Motor Vehicle Crash Data from FARS and GES Texas Transportation Institute, The 2007 Urban Mobility Report, September 2007. |
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