U.S. Department of Transportation issues Early Estimate of 2010 Motor Vehicle Fatalities: Number Expected to Decline

The U.S. Department of Transportation issued an Early Estimate of Motor Vehicle Traffic Fatalities for 2010. To view the entire report, click here.

A statistical projection of traffic fatalities in 2010 shows that an estimated 32,788 people died in motor vehicle traffic crashes throughout America. This represents a decline of about three percent, as compared with the 33,808 fatalities that occurred in 2009, as shown in Table 1 of the report.

If these projections are realized, U.S. fatalities will be lowest on record (since 1949).

Also, in 2010, fatalities declined in the first (down 11 percent) and second (down five percent) quarters and increased in the third (up about 1.6 percent) and fourth quarters (up about 1.8 percent), as compared to the respective quarters in 2009.

The fourth quarter of 2010 is the second consecutive quarter of increase after 17 consecutive quarters of decreases, up to the second quarter of 2010, as illustrated by the highlighted percentages in Table 1.

U.S. traffic fatalities have been steadily declining over the last five years since reaching a near-term peak in 2005, after which they decreased by about 25 percent from 2005 to 2010.

Preliminary data reported by the Federal Highway Administration shows that vehicle miles traveled (“VMT”) in 2010 increased by about 20.5 billion miles, or about a 0.7 percent increase.

On a quarterly basis, the VMT dropped by 0.7 percent during the first quarter and increased by 0.8 percent in the second quarter, increased by 1.4 percent in the third quarter and increased by 1.2 percent in the fourth quarter.

Also shown in Table 1 are the fatality rates per 100 million VMT, by quarter and for the whole year.

The fatality rates for 2010 are projected to decline to the lowest on record, to 1.09 fatalities per 100 million VMT, down from 1.13 fatalities per 100 million VMT in 2009.