News
April 21, 2005
Transportation Secretary Mineta Calls Highway Fatalities
an Epidemic
Nation Should Prevent Traffic Deaths Like Any
Other Disease
U.S. Transportation Secretary Norman Y. Mineta today called
the problem of highway traffic deaths a "national epidemic" and
encouraged Americans to view wearing safety belts as a form
of preventative medicine.
Mineta directed attention to his concern for traffic safety
as he announced mixed results in the effort to reduce the
number of people who die on U.S. highways each year.
While the fatality rate dropped and alcohol-related crashes
are down from 2003, 42,800 died on the nation’s highways
in 2004, up slightly from 42,643 in 2003, according to projected
2004 data compiled by the Department of Transportation’s
National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) in
a preliminary report.
"We are in the midst of a national epidemic",
said Secretary Mineta. "If this many people were to
die from any one disease in a single year, Americans would
demand a vaccine. The irony is we already have the best vaccine
available to reduce the death toll on our highways – safety
belts".
NHTSA’s report projects a fatality rate of 1.46 deaths
per 100 million vehicle miles traveled (VMT), a drop from
a record low of 1.48 in 2003, Mineta said.
The report also projects the seventh straight increase in
motorcycle fatalities. In 2004, 3,927 motorcyclists died,
a 7.3 percent increase. In 2003, there were 3,661 motorcycle
fatalities, the report said.
Traffic crashes come at an enormous cost to society, Mineta
noted. NHTSA estimates show that highway crashes cost society
$230.6 billion a year, about $820 per person.
"Sadly, traffic crashes continue to be the leading
cause of death in American children and young adults," said
NHTSA Administrator Jeffrey Runge, M.D. "While seat
belt use, at 80 percent, is at an all-time high, we could
save thousands more lives each year if everyone buckled-up".
NHTSA also is projecting the following changes between
2003 and 2004:
- Injuries dropped from 2.9 million to 2.8 million, a decline
of 4.6 percent.
- Overall alcohol-related fatalities dropped 2.1
percent from 17,013 to 16,654. At positive blood alcohol
content (BAC) levels under .08, fatalities dropped 9.8
percent.
- Passenger car occupant fatalities declined by
2.4 percent and pickup deaths dropped 2.0 percent while
sport utility vehicle (SUV) deaths rose 4.9 percent.
- In 2004, 56 percent of occupants killed in passenger
vehicles were not wearing safety belts, a rate that was
unchanged.
- Pedestrian deaths declined 3.2 percent from 4,749
to 4,598 in 2004.
- Fatalities from large truck crashes increased
slightly from 4,986 to 5,169 in 2004.
- The number of fatal crashes involving young drivers
(16-20) increased slightly (from 7,353 in 2003 to 7,405).
- In 2004, vehicle miles traveled increased slightly
to 2.92 trillion, up from 2.89 trillion in 2003, according
to the DOT’s Federal Highway Administration.
- The number of registered vehicles increased from
230.8 million in 2003 to 235.4 million in 2004.
NHTSA annually collects crash statistics from 50 states
and the District of Columbia to produce the annual report
on traffic fatality trends. The final 2004 report,
pending completion of data collection and quality control
verification, will be available in August. Summaries
of the preliminary report are available on the NHTSA web
site at:
http://www-nrd.nhtsa.dot.gov/pdf/nrd-30/NCSA/PPT/2004EARelease.pdf. |