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May 05, 2006
TRAFFIC DEATHS REPORTED UP
According to an Autoblog summary of NHTSA data, traffic fatalities reached a 15-year high in 2005 at 43,200 fatalities. This represented an increase of 1.2 percent over 2004, while miles traveled only increased by 0.03% to 2.964 trillion. The projected death rate was 1.46 per 100 million miles traveled, a slight increase from the record low of 1.44 in 2004. Deaths in passenger cars fell by approximately 2 percent, while SUVs and light trucks saw a 4 percent increase. The motorcycle death toll jumped by 7.7 percent last year and has now doubled in less than a decade. Two-wheelers now account for nearly 10 percent of all traffic deaths. Seatbelts are now used by over 80 percent of drivers, but fully 55 percent of those who died in a car crash were not using one.
Posted by MVHAP at May 5, 2006 07:02 PM