Early results from the 2004 Fatality Analysis Reporting System (FARS) show that the number of persons killed in the U.S. in motor vehicle traffic crashes declined from 2003. This is the second consecutive year in which traffic crash fatalities have declined after reaching a recent high of 43,005 in 2002. With an expected increase in vehicle miles traveled (VMT), the fatality rate per 100 million VMT will be 1.46, the lowest recorded by the Department of Transportation (see Figure 1). Early results also show (see Table 1) a decline in pedestrian fatalities and in fatalities in all passenger vehicles combined. By vehicle type, occupant fatalities increased in large trucks and sport utility vehicles (SUV). Motorcycle rider fatalities increased for the seventh year in a row, exceeding 4,000 fatalities for the first year since 1987.

In other significant results, shown in Table 2, fatalities in alcohol-related crashes decreased for a second year, declining by 2.4 percent, falling below 17,000 fatalities for the first time in five years. Fatalities declined by 1.8 percent in crashes where the highest blood alcohol concentration (BAC) was 0.08 grams per deciliter (g/dl) or greater. Fatalities of unrestrained passenger vehicle occupants declined by 3.4 percent, reflecting the increasing use of safety belts and contributing to the overall reduction in passenger vehicle occupant fatalities. Increases were found in the number of passenger vehicle occupants killed when their vehicle rolled over (1.1 percent) and for persons killed in crashes involving large trucks (3.1 percent).

Table 1
Motorists and Non-motorists Killed in Traffic Crashes

Table 2
Characteristics of Fatal Crashes

Figure 1
Fatalities per 100 Million Vehicle Miles of Travel (VMT), 1988 - 2004

Table 3 shows the total number of fatalities for 2003 and 2004, the change in the number of fatalities and the percent change for each State, the District of Columbia, and Puerto Rico. Twenty-seven States, the District of Columbia and Puerto Rico had reductions in the number of fatalities. States with the largest reduction in the number of fatalities were Texas (-238) and Michigan (-124). The District of Columbia and Rhode Island had the greatest percentage reductions (-35.8 percent and –20.2 percent, respectively). States with the largest increases were Alabama (150) and Indiana (114). The largest percentage increases were found in Vermont (42.0 percent) and New Hampshire (34.6 percent). The number of fatalities in New York did not change.

Table 3:
Persons Killed in Motor Vehicle Crashes, by State, 2003-2004

NHTSA’s Fatality Analysis Reporting System (FARS) is a census of all crashes of motor vehicles traveling on a public roadway in which a person died within 30 days of the crash.