Transportation safety in the United States

Transportation safety encompasses automobile accidents, airplane crashes, railroad and motorcoach fatalities and maimings, and other mass transit incidents.

The U.S. government's National Center for Health Statistics reported 33,736 motor vehicle traffic deaths in 2014. This exceeded the number of firearm deaths which was 33,599 in 2014. According to another U.S. government office, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, motor vehicle crashes on U.S. roadways claimed 32,744 lives in 2014 and 35,092 in 2015. (The National Center for Health Statistics may have different criteria for inclusion and/or a slightly different methodology from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.) The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration report comparing 2015 to 2014 noted that fatalities increased from 2014 to 2015 in almost all segments of the population—passenger vehicle occupants, passengers of large trucks, pedestrians, pedalcyclists (commonly referred to as cyclists), motorcyclists, alcohol-impaired driving fatalities, male/female, daytime/nighttime. Fatalities of drivers of large trucks remained unchanged. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration performed a regression analysis between monthly roadway fatalities and various possible explanatory variables over the five year period 2011–2015. As one might expect, the strongest correlation was with Vehicle Miles Traveled (VMT), which had a correlation of .80, followed by average monthly temperature, which had a correlation of .74, meaning that higher temperatures were associated with increased fatalities. Part of the reason for that pattern may be that more people are out walking and biking in the warmer months, and pedestrians and cyclists are often victims of collisions with motor vehicles. The report also suggests that there may be more vacation travel during warmer months. (It is not stated whether the analysis used Annual Vehicle Miles Traveled or Monthly Vehicle Miles Traveled.) Although not mentioned, motorcycle use, and therefore motorcyclist fatalities, may also increase in warmer months.

The National Safety Council, a nonprofit safety advocacy group, estimates U.S. motor vehicle deaths in 2016 were 40,200, a 14 percent increase from its 2014 estimate. The National Safety Council measures roadside deaths differently than U.S. government agencies. The National Safety Council counts traffic and non-traffic deaths within one year of an accident while the government counts only traffic deaths occurring within 30 days of a crash. The National Safety Council's statistics show that the increase in 2016 was due only in part to increased miles driven (due to population growth, low gasoline prices, and a strengthening economy.) The National Safety Council suggests the increase in deaths not explained by increased vehicle miles is attributable to complacency about impaired driving and increased driver distraction.

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