National crash statistics for 2015 have just been released, and overall, the news is not good. After decades of seeing road fatalities drop, 2015 saw an 7.2% increase in fatalities across all vehicles.
The increase comes primarily from an increase in miles driven by Americans, but the data also shows an increase in the number of crashes per mile driven, suggesting that the trend isn’t just from drivers being on the road more.
For motorcyclists, 2015 was especially bad, with motorcycle crash fatalities increasing by 8.3%, though motorcycle crash injuries were down 4.3% last year.
Interestingly enough, the number of alcohol-related fatalities in vehicle crashes increased, though less so than the overall rate that vehicle crashes increased. Motorcycle fatalities, where alcohol was a factor, decreased though – by 0.4%, which is really just a margin of 5 fatalities.
Perhaps the most intriguing statistic is the correlation between total vehicle miles travelled, and other factors like climate, economy, and fuel pricing.
Surprisingly, the weather played the biggest factor in American drivers being on the road, with the unusually warm weather of 2015 coinciding with more cars being on the road. We should expect similar trends for 2016, with this year consistently setting seasonal highs.
The NHTSA’s abridged report can be read here, but the government organization is looking for interested stakeholder who want to examine the full data set, in the hopes that other factors and results can be gleaned from the yearly crash statistics.
Source: DOT & NHTSA; Photo: Rnickeymouse
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