November 2004 A Brief Statistical Summary DOT HS 809 817

Restraint Use Among Fatally Injured 

Passenger Vehicle Occupants by Time of Day

Traffic Safety Facts

Crash•Stats

National Center for Statistics and Analysis 400 Seventh St., SW, Washington, DC 20590 

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration’s 

(NHTSA) National Center for Statistics and Analysis 

(NCSA) recently released the annual crash statistics for 

the year 2003. A total of 42,643 people died on the Nation’s 

highways. The numbers were made available from NHTSA’s 

Fatality Analysis Reporting System (FARS), which annually 

collects crash statistics from 50 States, the District of 

Columbia and Puerto Rico. Research has found that lap/

shoulder safety belts, when used, reduce the risk of fatal 

injury to front-seat passenger car occupants by 45 percent 

and the risk of moderate-to-critical injury by 50 percent. For 

light truck occupants, safety belts reduce the risk of fatal 

injury by 60 percent and moderate-to-critical injury by 65 

percent. However, the 2003 data showed that a majority of 

fatally injured passenger vehicle occupants continue to be 

unrestrained (56 percent). This Crash•Stats looks at the 

differences in restraint use among fatally injured passenger 

vehicle occupants based on time of day (day and night).

Out of the 31,904 passenger vehicle occupants killed in 2003, 

16,308 persons (51 percent) were killed in crashes during 

daytime, 15,271 persons (48 percent) were killed in crashes 

during nighttime and the rest were killed in crashes at 

unknown times. The chart below and Table 1 (overleaf) show

5-year trend data of passenger vehicle occupant fatalities by 

time of day and restraint use. Among the 15,271 persons 

killed at nighttime, 10,106 persons or almost two-thirds (66 

percent) did not use restraints and 5,165 persons (34 percent) 

used restraints. In contrast the proportion of unrestrained 

fatally injured passenger vehicle occupants during daytime 

crashes was under 50 percent (47 percent).

Figure 1

Passenger Vehicle Occupant Fatalities by Year, Time of Day and Restraint Use

Day Night Day Night Day Night Day Night Day Night

1999 2000 2001 2002 2003

Calendar Year and Time of Day

54

46

71

29

52 48

69

31

69

31

50 50 50 50

68

32

47

53

66

34

80%

60%

40%

20%

0%

Restraint Use

Not Used Used
National Center for Statistics and Analysis 400 Seventh St., SW, Washington, DC 20590 

Table 1

Passenger Vehicle Occupant Fatalities by Year, Time of Day and Restraint Use

Restraint

Not used Used Total

 Number Percent Number Percent Number Percent

 Night 10,650 71 4,335 29 14,985 100

1999 Day 9,109 54 7,761 46 16,870 100

 Unknown 212 78 60 22 272 100

 Total* 19,954 62 12,173 38 32,127 100

 Night 10,621 69 4,738 31 15,359 100

2000 Day 8,560 52 8,022 48 16,582 100

 Unknown 226 79 58 21 284 100

 Total* 19,391 60 12,834 40 32,225 100

 Night 10,626 69 4,725 31 15,351 100

2001 Day 8,265 50 8,176 50 16,441 100

 Unknown 183 73 68 27 251 100

 Total* 19,051 59 12,992 41 32,043 100

 Night 10,808 68 5,176 32 15,984 100

 2002 Day 8,275 50 8,308 50 16,583 100

 Unknown 216 78 60 22 276 100

 Total* 19,272 59 13,571 41 32,843 100

 Night 10,106 66 5,165 34 15,271 100

2003 Day 7,729 47 8,579 53 16,308 100

 Unknown 217 67 108 33 325 100

 Total* 18,019 56 13,885 44 31,904 100

Source: NCSA, FARS 1999-2002 (FINAL), 2003 (ARF)

Unknown restraint use is distributed proportionally to the known use categories. 

* Not equal to sum of (Night, Day and Unknown) due to individual rounding.

Definitions

The term ‘occupant’ is used for drivers, passengers and the 

unknown occupant types of a motor vehicle in transport. 

The term ‘passenger vehicle occupant’ refers to the drivers, 

passengers and unknown occupant type of passenger cars and 

light trucks (include sport utility vehicles, Pickups & Vans). 

Time of day is classified into 2 categories, day (6:00 A.M.-

5:59 P.M.) and night (6:00 P.M.-5:59 A.M.). Restraint usage is 

classified into 3 categories. Table 2 shows the classification of 

restraint use.

Table 2

Classification of Restraint Use 

USED Shoulder belt, Lap belt, Lap and shoulder 

belt, Child safety seat, Restraint used 

– type unknown, Safety belt used improperly, Child safety seat used improperly

NOT USED None used (vehicle occupant)

UNKNOWN Unknown if used

Calendar Year and

Time of Day

For questions regarding the data reported in this note, contact Umesh G. Shankar [202-366-5558] or Cherian Varghese 

[202-366-1114]. Some of the findings in this note were obtained from the following NCSA publication: DOT HS 809 

774. This crash stats and other general information on highway traffic safety may be accessed by internet users at: 

http://www-nrd.nhtsa.dot.gov/deparments/nrd-30/ncsa/AvailInf.html