NHTSA’s National Center for Statistics and Analysis 1200 New Jersey Ave. SE., Washington, DC 20590

DOT HS 810 637 May 2007

Traffic Safety Facts

Research Note

Summary

The passenger vehicle occupant fatality rate at nighttime 

is about three times higher than the daytime rate. In 2005, 

among the fatally injured passenger vehicle occupants, the 

proportion of unrestrained occupants was much higher 

during nighttime than daytime. Also during nighttime, 

among passenger vehicle occupants killed in crashes, 

alcohol involvement, speeding, and single-­vehicle crash 

fatalities were higher, compared to daytime. 

1.	 Introduction

Out of the 43,443 people who died on the Nation’s high-­

ways in 2005, nearly 73 percent were occupants of pas-­

senger vehicles. This data is from National Highway 

Traffic Safety Administration’s Fatality Analysis Report-­

ing System (FARS), which annually collects crash statis-­

tics from 50 States, the District of Columbia, and Puerto 

Rico, and is made available by the National Center for 

Statistics and Analysis (NCSA). This research note looks 

at the various patterns among passenger vehicle occu-­

pant fatalities based on time of day.

Research has found that using lap/shoulder seat belts 

reduces the risk of fatal injury to front-seat passenger 

car occupants by 45 percent and the risk of moderate-tocritical injury by 50 percent. For light-truck occupants, 

seat belts reduce the risk of fatal injury by 60 percent and 

moderate-to-critical injury by 65 percent.1

Passenger Vehicle Occupant Fatalities by 

Day and Night – A Contrast

* Programmer analyst (contractor) for the Mathematical 

Analysis Division, Office of Traffic Records and Analysis, 

National Center for Statistics and Analysis.

† Team leader, Data Reporting Branch, Mathematical 

Analysis Division, Office of Traffic Records and Analysis, 

National Center for Statistics and Analysis.

Cherian Varghese* and Umesh Shankar †

Nationwide almost half (49%) of passenger vehicle oc-­

cupant fatalities occur during nighttime. This, coupled 

with the fact that approximately 25 percent of travel 

occurs during hours of darkness,2 3 the fatality rate per 

vehicle mile of travel is about three times higher at night 

than during the day. These data pose a very relevant 

question: Is the higher fatality rate at nighttime due to 

lower belt use? Or is it due to other factors in night-­

time and daytime crashes, such as alcohol involvement, 

speeding, and type of crash (single- versus multiple-ve-­

hicle) that suggest drivers during nighttime travel take 

more risks? Data analysis in the next section might help 

us understand the reason for this high fatality rate dur-­

ing nighttime crashes.

2.	 Data Analysis

The data analysis in this research note looks at passenger 

vehicle occupant fatalities by time of day (day/night) 

and by other factors such as restraint use, alcohol in-­

volvement, speeding, and crash type.

2.1	Time of Day and Restraint Use

Among the 31,415 passenger vehicle occupants killed in 

2005, 15,878 people (nearly 51%) were killed in crashes 

during daytime, 15,294 people (nearly 49%) were killed 

in crashes during nighttime, and the rest (less than 1 per-­

cent) were killed in crashes at unknown times. Chart 1 

shows passenger vehicle occupant fatalities by time of 

day and restraint use. Out of the 15,294 people killed at 

nighttime, 9,785 people or almost two-thirds (64%) did 

not use restraints and 5,509 people (36%) used restraints. 

In contrast the proportion of unrestrained fatally injured 

passenger vehicle occupants during daytime crashes 

was just under 50 percent (47%).
NHTSA’s National Center for Statistics and Analysis 1200 New Jersey Ave. SE., Washington, DC 20590



Restraint use among passenger vehicle occupant fatali-­

ties by each hour of the day shows that belt use can vary 

by nearly 30 percentage points between daytime and 

nighttime – from a high of 58 percent at 2 p.m. to a low 

of 30 percent at 2 a.m. Chart 2 shows percent restrained 

2.2	Time of Day and the BAC Level in the Crash

Among the 15,878 passenger vehicle occupants killed in 

2005 during daytime, 2,877 (18%) were in alcohol-relat-­

ed crashes (blood alcohol concentration (BAC) .01 g/dL 

or higher) and of these 2,257 (14%) were in crashes with 

BAC .08 g/dL or higher. However, of the 15,294 pas-­

senger vehicle occupants killed during nighttime, 9,212 

Noon

1:00 PM

2:00 PM

3:00 PM

4:00 PM

5:00 PM6:00 PM

7:00 PM

8:00 PM9:00 PM

10:00 PM

11:00 PM

Midnight

1:00 AM

2:00 AM

3:00 AM

4:00 AM

5:00 AM

6:00 AM

7:00 AM

8:00 AM

9:00 AM

10:00 AM

11:00 AM

Percent Restrained

20

25

30

35

40

45

50

55

60

Chart 2: Percent Restrained Among Fatally Injured Passenger Vehicle Occupants by Hour

Source: NCSA, FARS 2005 (ARF)

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

Daytime

7,488,

47%

8,390,

53%

Nighttime

5,509,

36%

9,785,

64%

Not Used Used

Chart 1: Passenger Vehicle Occupant Fatalities in 2005 by Time of Day and Restraint Use

among fatally injured passenger vehicle occupants by 

hour. The data shows a decline in belt use among fatally 

injured passenger vehicle occupants as nighttime pro-­

gresses and increase in belt use as daytime progresses.

(60%) were in crashes with a BAC of .01 g/dL or higher 

and 8,234 (54%) were in crashes with a BAC of .08 g/dL 

or higher. This clearly shows a much higher (3.3 times) 

alcohol involvement in crashes during nighttime. Chart 

3 shows passenger vehicle occupant fatalities in 2005 by 

time of day and BAC level in the crash.

Source: NCSA, FARS 2005 (ARF)


NHTSA’s National Center for Statistics and Analysis 1200 New Jersey Ave. SE., Washington, DC 20590

Chart 4: Passenger Vehicle Occupant Fatalities in 2005 by Time of Day and Speeding

Source: NCSA, FARS 2005 (ARF)

Source: NCSA, FARS 2005 (ARF)

2.3	Time of Day and Speeding

Of the 15,878 passenger vehicle occupants killed in mo-­

tor vehicle crashes in 2005 during daytime, 3,384 (21%) 

were in speeding-related crashes and of the 15,294 

passenger vehicle occupants killed during nighttime 

5,715 (37%) were in speeding-related crashes. The data 

2.4	Time of Day and Crash Type

In 2005, among the 15,294 passenger vehicle occupants 

killed in crashes during nighttime, 9,418 (62%) were in 

single-vehicle crashes whereas of the 15,878 passenger 

vehicle occupants killed in crashes during daytime, 9,698 

(61%) were in multivehicle crashes. The data shows 6 out 

Chart 3: Passenger Vehicle Occupant Fatalities in 2005 by Time of Day and the BAC Level in the Crash

Daytime

6,082,

40%

978,

6%

8,234,

54%

Nighttime

2,257,

14%

620,

4%

13,001,

82%

No Alcohol BAC .01-.07 BAC .08+

Daytime

3,384,

21%

12,494,

79%

Nighttime

9,579,

63%

5,715,

37%

Speeding Not Speeding

shows a higher percentage of passenger vehicle occu-­

pants killed in speeding-related crashes at nighttime. 

Chart 4 shows the breakdown of passenger vehicle oc-­

cupant fatalities in crashes in 2005 by time of day and 

speeding involvement.

of 10 fatal crashes involve just one vehicle (single-vehicle 

crash) during nighttime, which is exactly the opposite of 

during daytime, where 6 out of 10 fatal crashes are mul-­

tivehicle crashes. Chart 5 shows passenger vehicle occu-­

pant fatalities in 2005 by time of day and crash type.

Chart 5: Passenger Vehicle Occupant Fatalities in 2005 by Time of Day and Crash Type

Daytime

6,180,

39%

9,698,

61%

Nighttime

5,876,

38%

9,418,

62%

Single-vehicle Multivehicle

Source: NCSA, FARS 2005 (ARF)
NHTSA’s National Center for Statistics and Analysis 1200 New Jersey Ave. SE., Washington, DC 20590



3.	 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, sport utility vehicles (SUVs), pickup 

trucks, vans, and other light trucks. 

Classification of Restraint Use: Restraint usage is classi-­

fied into three categories.

Classification Categories Used

Used Shoulder belt, lap belt, lap and shoulder belt, child safety seat, 

restraint used – type unknown, seat belt used improperly, child 

safety seat used improperly

Not Used None used (vehicle occupant)

Unknown Unknown if used

Classification of Daytime and Nighttime

Daytime: 6 a.m. to 5:59 p.m.

Nighttime: 6 p.m. to 5:59 a.m.

Speeding: NHSTA considers a crash to be speedingrelated if a driver was charged with a speeding-related 

offense or if an officer indicated that racing, driving too 

fast for conditions, or exceeding the posted speed limit 

was a contributing factor in the crash.

Alcohol-related: A motor vehicle crash is considered to 

be alcohol-related if at least one driver or nonoccupant 

(such as a pedestrian or pedalcyclist) involved in the 

crash is determined to have had a blood alcohol concen-­

tration (BAC) of .01 gram per deciliter (g/dL) or higher.

4.	 Findings

The reason for higher fatality rates at night could be due 

to both lower seat belt use and other major factors in 

nighttime crashes, such as higher alcohol involvement, 

more speeding-related crashes, and type of crash (more 

single- versus multiple-vehicle) suggesting that drivers 

during nighttime travel tend to take more risks. Data 

indicate that among other things, lower seat belt use 

and higher alcohol involvement seem to be the two ma-­

jor contributors to the disproportionate nighttime risk. 

However, it is very important to use seat belts while 

riding in vehicles no matter what time of the day, since 

seat belts are one of the best defenses against injury for 

vehicle occupants in crashes.

Based on the data presented above, following are some 

key findings:

n In 2005, unrestrained passenger vehicle occupant fa-­

talities were higher during nighttime (64%) than dur-­

ing daytime (47%).

n Depending on the hour of the day, belt use among pas-­

senger vehicle occupant fatalities can vary by nearly 

30 percentage points – from a high of 58 percent at 

2 p.m. to a low of 30 percent at 2 a.m.

n Alcohol involvement in passenger vehicle occupant 

fatalities in crashes during nighttime was much high-­

er (3.3 times) than during daytime. 

n A higher proportion of passenger vehicle occupants 

were killed in speeding-related crashes at nighttime. 

n During nighttime 62 percent of the passenger vehicle 

occupant fatalities occurred in single-vehicle crashes.

The following tables show State-by-State breakdown of 

passenger vehicle occupants killed in 2005 by:

n Table 1: Time of day when the crash occurred and re-­

straint use;

n Table 2: Time of day when the crash occurred and 

BAC level in the crash; and

n Table 3: Time of day when the crash occurred and 

speeding.


NHTSA’s National Center for Statistics and Analysis 1200 New Jersey Ave. SE., Washington, DC 20590

Table 1: Passenger Vehicle Occupant Fatalities in 2005 by State, Time of Day, and Restraint Use

State

Time of Day

Total

Night Day Unknown

Restraint Use Restraint Use Restraint Use

Not Used Used Not Used Used Not Used Used

# % # % # % # % # % # %

Alabama 313 72 120 28 264 51 254 49 0 0 0 0 951

Alaska 13 46 15 54 11 43 15 57 0 0 0 0 54

Arizona 213 67 103 33 178 54 151 46 5 71 2 29 652

Arkansas 170 77 51 23 173 61 112 39 3 75 1 25 510

California 663 43 878 57 409 31 902 69 22 54 19 46 2,893

Colorado 153 66 79 34 100 47 111 53 1 100 0 0 444

Connecticut 69 62 41 38 33 44 41 56 0 0 0 0 184

Delaware 36 70 15 30 18 40 27 60 0 0 0 0 96

Dist of Columbia 13 65 7 35 0 0 2 100 0 0 0 0 22

Florida 746 68 355 32 569 51 543 49 9 62 5 38 2,227

Georgia 405 66 209 34 350 48 375 52 2 100 0 0 1,341

Hawaii 31 68 15 32 4 21 15 79 0 0 4 100 69

Idaho 60 62 37 38 65 53 58 47 4 80 1 20 225

Illinois 318 62 195 38 180 40 273 60 1 50 1 50 968

Indiana 203 62 126 38 173 45 207 55 2 100 0 0 711

Iowa 87 59 59 41 78 38 129 63 0 0 1 100 354

Kansas 108 76 35 24 122 61 77 39 0 0 0 0 342

Kentucky 229 72 88 28 281 60 185 40 0 0 0 0 783

Louisiana 260 70 112 30 164 50 164 50 5 50 5 50 709

Maine 34 60 23 40 43 55 35 45 0 0 0 0 135

Maryland 111 52 102 48 73 40 111 60 0 0 0 0 397

Massachusetts 113 72 44 28 87 62 53 38 1 100 0 0 298

Michigan 191 51 185 49 117 27 317 73 1 20 4 80 815

Minnesota 123 66 63 34 107 44 135 56 0 0 0 0 428

Mississippi 271 75 88 25 304 72 119 28 0 0 0 0 782

Missouri 377 77 110 23 292 56 233 44 7 100 0 0 1,019

Montana 92 90 10 10 51 54 42 46 4 100 0 0 199

Nebraska 74 75 25 25 78 60 53 40 12 100 0 0 241

Nevada 80 57 59 43 71 49 73 51 0 0 0 0 283

New Hampshire 38 84 7 16 35 59 25 41 1 100 0 0 106

New Jersey 135 56 105 44 93 38 153 62 1 100 0 0 487

New Mexico 103 55 82 45 84 47 96 53 0 0 0 0 365

New York 226 56 174 44 150 35 284 65 3 60 2 40 839

North Carolina 320 58 227 42 251 43 338 57 0 0 0 0 1,136

North Dakota 34 80 9 20 36 71 15 29 0 0 0 0 94

Ohio 342 69 156 31 244 48 266 52 0 0 0 0 1,008

Oklahoma 207 71 86 29 173 51 165 49 0 0 0 0 631

Oregon 64 40 97 60 48 25 141 75 6 56 5 44 361

Pennsylvania 440 74 157 26 293 52 274 48 6 80 1 20 1,171

Rhode Island 26 66 13 34 12 63 7 37 0 0 0 0 58

South Carolina 356 77 106 23 223 59 157 41 0 0 0 0 842

South Dakota 57 86 9 14 44 63 26 38 2 67 1 33 139

Tennessee 318 70 134 30 278 53 248 47 23 69 10 31 1,010

Texas 743 57 557 43 469 38 752 62 4 80 1 20 2,526

Utah 49 59 34 41 74 53 65 47 1 100 0 0 223

Vermont 15 67 8 33 12 43 17 57 0 0 1 100 53

Virginia 253 75 83 25 218 57 167 43 1 25 3 75 725

Washington 127 54 107 46 85 38 142 62 3 100 0 0 464

West Virginia 92 73 35 28 80 53 70 47 7 70 3 30 287

Wisconsin 214 73 79 27 150 50 150 50 28 77 8 23 628

Wyoming 48 73 18 27 38 59 26 41 0 0 0 0 130

NATIONAL* 9,785 64 5,509 36 7,488 47 8,390 53 164 67 79 33 31,415

Puerto Rico 85 65 46 35 39 48 42 52 0 0 0 0 212

Source: NCSA, FARS 2005 (ARF) Unknown restraint use is distributed proportionally to the known use categories.

* Not equal to sum of States due to individual rounding. 
NHTSA’s National Center for Statistics and Analysis 1200 New Jersey Ave. SE., Washington, DC 20590



Table 2: Passenger Vehicle Occupant Fatalities in 2005 by State, Time of Day, and BAC Level in the Crash

State

Time of Day

Total*

Night Day

BAC=.08+ BAC=.01+ Total BAC=.08+ BAC=.01+ Total

# % # % # % # % # % # % #

Alabama 235 54 256 59 433 100 90 17 104 20 518 100 951

Alaska 14 49 14 51 28 100 7 28 10 37 26 100 54

Arizona 165 52 185 59 316 100 63 19 75 23 329 100 652

Arkansas 111 50 119 54 221 100 56 20 67 24 285 100 510

California 792 51 892 58 1,541 100 187 14 253 19 1,311 100 2,893

Colorado 131 56 148 64 232 100 32 15 39 18 211 100 444

Connecticut 62 57 69 63 110 100 12 16 16 21 74 100 184

Delaware 34 66 37 72 51 100 8 17 9 20 45 100 96

Dist of Columbia 14 70 15 75 20 100 0 0 0 0 2 100 22

Florida 578 52 649 59 1,101 100 163 15 214 19 1,112 100 2,227

Georgia 264 43 299 49 614 100 92 13 114 16 725 100 1,341

Hawaii 33 72 38 83 46 100 2 11 3 16 19 100 69

Idaho 55 56 57 58 97 100 19 15 21 17 123 100 225

Illinois 288 56 335 65 513 100 67 15 91 20 453 100 968

Indiana 154 47 173 53 329 100 50 13 67 18 380 100 711

Iowa 65 45 70 48 146 100 13 6 20 9 207 100 354

Kansas 74 52 87 61 143 100 25 13 36 18 199 100 342

Kentucky 141 45 159 50 317 100 60 13 76 16 466 100 783

Louisiana 205 55 228 61 372 100 54 17 66 20 327 100 709

Maine 30 52 30 52 57 100 11 14 16 21 78 100 135

Maryland 111 52 130 61 213 100 21 11 29 16 184 100 397

Massachusetts 89 56 97 62 157 100 22 16 25 18 140 100 298

Michigan 209 55 232 62 376 100 35 8 52 12 434 100 815

Minnesota 104 56 114 62 186 100 32 13 36 15 242 100 428

Mississippi 213 59 230 64 359 100 64 15 82 19 423 100 782

Missouri 270 55 313 64 487 100 77 15 99 19 525 100 1,019

Montana 72 70 76 75 102 100 21 22 25 27 93 100 199

Nebraska 49 50 56 57 98 100 15 12 18 14 131 100 241

Nevada 75 54 83 59 139 100 22 15 28 20 144 100 283

New Hampshire 31 69 32 71 45 100 4 7 5 8 60 100 106

New Jersey 123 51 143 59 240 100 22 9 34 14 246 100 487

New Mexico 105 57 115 62 185 100 22 12 25 14 180 100 365

New York 211 53 249 62 400 100 48 11 68 16 434 100 839

North Carolina 259 47 283 52 547 100 90 15 111 19 589 100 1,136

North Dakota 30 69 33 76 43 100 10 20 16 32 51 100 94

Ohio 256 51 298 60 498 100 62 12 84 16 510 100 1,008

Oklahoma 154 53 173 59 293 100 46 14 55 16 338 100 631

Oregon 70 44 84 52 161 100 24 13 35 18 189 100 361

Pennsylvania 363 61 395 66 597 100 61 11 75 13 567 100 1,171

Rhode Island 23 59 28 71 39 100 1 6 3 17 19 100 58

South Carolina 247 53 276 60 462 100 69 18 90 24 380 100 842

South Dakota 43 65 44 66 66 100 17 25 19 27 70 100 139

Tennessee 222 49 253 56 452 100 83 16 98 19 525 100 1,010

Texas 783 60 878 68 1,300 100 216 18 258 21 1,221 100 2,526

Utah 13 16 14 16 83 100 15 11 15 11 139 100 223

Vermont 18 78 18 78 23 100 2 6 3 10 29 100 53

Virginia 176 52 203 60 336 100 55 14 73 19 385 100 725

Washington 154 66 168 72 234 100 41 18 54 24 227 100 464

West Virginia 73 57 78 61 127 100 10 7 13 9 150 100 287

Wisconsin 208 71 220 75 293 100 29 10 43 14 299 100 628

Wyoming 37 57 40 61 66 100 8 13 11 18 64 100 130

National 8,234 54 9,212 60 15,294 100 2,257 14 2,877 18 15,878 100 31,415

Puerto Rico 74 57 83 63 131 100 16 20 23 28 81 100 212

Source: NCSA, FARS 2005 (ARF) *includes fatalities at unknown time of day


NHTSA’s National Center for Statistics and Analysis 1200 New Jersey Ave. SE., Washington, DC 20590

Table 3: Passenger Vehicle Occupant Fatalities in 2005 by State, Time of Day, and Speeding

State

Time of Day

Total

Night Day Unknown

Speeding Not Speeding Speeding Not Speeding Speeding Not Speeding

# % # % # % # % # % # % #

Alabama 221 51 212 49 163 31 355 69 0 0 0 0 951

Alaska 12 43 16 57 8 31 18 69 0 0 0 0 54

Arizona 154 49 162 51 118 36 211 64 0 0 7 100 652

Arkansas 39 18 182 82 36 13 249 87 1 25 3 75 510

California 547 35 994 65 288 22 1,023 78 13 32 28 68 2,893

Colorado 114 49 118 51 48 23 163 77 1 100 0 0 444

Connecticut 54 49 56 51 17 23 57 77 0 0 0 0 184

Delaware 23 45 28 55 13 29 32 71 0 0 0 0 96

Dist of Columbia 11 55 9 45 0 0 2 100 0 0 0 0 22

Florida 98 9 1,003 91 44 4 1,068 96 2 14 12 86 2,227

Georgia 155 25 459 75 97 13 628 87 0 0 2 100 1,341

Hawaii 28 61 18 39 9 47 10 53 2 50 2 50 69

Idaho 37 38 60 62 40 33 83 67 2 40 3 60 225

Illinois 222 43 291 57 102 23 351 77 0 0 2 100 968

Indiana 103 31 226 69 76 20 304 80 1 50 1 50 711

Iowa 18 12 128 88 12 6 195 94 0 0 1 100 354

Kansas 52 36 91 64 44 22 155 78 0 0 0 0 342

Kentucky 83 26 234 74 66 14 400 86 0 0 0 0 783

Louisiana 90 24 282 76 38 12 289 88 4 40 6 60 709

Maine 36 63 21 37 26 33 52 67 0 0 0 0 135

Maryland 93 44 120 56 40 22 144 78 0 0 0 0 397

Massachusetts 79 50 78 50 28 20 112 80 1 100 0 0 298

Michigan 97 26 279 74 82 19 352 81 4 80 1 20 815

Minnesota 69 37 117 63 37 15 205 85 0 0 0 0 428

Mississippi 105 29 254 71 123 29 300 71 0 0 0 0 782

Missouri 235 48 252 52 148 28 377 72 4 57 3 43 1,019

Montana 50 49 52 51 25 27 68 73 4 100 0 0 199

Nebraska 28 29 70 71 15 11 116 89 0 0 12 100 241

Nevada 66 47 73 53 29 20 115 80 0 0 0 0 283

New Hampshire 25 56 20 44 11 18 49 82 0 0 1 100 106

New Jersey 29 12 211 88 18 7 228 93 0 0 1 100 487

New Mexico 81 44 104 56 49 27 131 73 0 0 0 0 365

New York 204 51 196 49 95 22 339 78 1 20 4 80 839

North Carolina 263 48 284 52 149 25 440 75 0 0 0 0 1,136

North Dakota 13 30 30 70 8 16 43 84 0 0 0 0 94

Ohio 137 28 361 72 68 13 442 87 0 0 0 0 1,008

Oklahoma 138 47 155 53 86 25 252 75 0 0 0 0 631

Oregon 66 41 95 59 47 25 142 75 3 27 8 73 361

Pennsylvania 340 57 257 43 194 34 373 66 2 29 5 71 1,171

Rhode Island 23 59 16 41 6 32 13 68 0 0 0 0 58

South Carolina 238 52 224 48 130 34 250 66 0 0 0 0 842

South Dakota 18 27 48 73 29 41 41 59 0 0 3 100 139

Tennessee 130 29 322 71 63 12 462 88 4 12 29 88 1,010

Texas 580 45 720 55 355 29 866 71 4 80 1 20 2,526

Utah 18 22 65 78 33 24 106 76 0 0 1 100 223

Vermont 12 52 11 48 9 31 20 69 0 0 1 100 53

Virginia 156 46 180 54 104 27 281 73 1 25 3 75 725

Washington 120 51 114 49 54 24 173 76 3 100 0 0 464

West Virginia 44 35 83 65 22 15 128 85 0 0 10 100 287

Wisconsin 133 45 160 55 65 22 234 78 21 58 15 42 628

Wyoming 28 42 38 58 17 27 47 73 0 0 0 0 130

National 5,715 37 9,579 63 3,384 21 12,494 79 78 32 165 68 31,415

Puerto Rico 91 69 40 31 35 43 46 57 0 0 0 0 212

Source: NCSA, FARS 2005 (ARF)
NHTSA’s National Center for Statistics and Analysis 1200 New Jersey Ave. SE., Washington, DC 20590



For More Information

This research note and other general information on highway traffic safety may be accessed by Internet 

users at: www-nrd.nhtsa.dot.gov/CMSWeb/index.aspx

References

1 NHTSA. Traffic Safety Facts 2004 Data: Occupant Protection (US DOT HS 809 909). Washington, DC: Na-­

tional Center for Statistics and Analysis, National 

Highway Traffic Safety Administration. 2005. Avail-­

able at: www-nrd.nhtsa.dot.gov/pdf/nrd-30/ncsa/

TSF2004/809909.pdf

2 Griffith, M.S. Comparison of the Safety of Lighting Options 

on Urban Freeways. FHWA-RD-94-188. 1995. McLean, 

VA: Federal Highway Administration 

3 Bureau of Transportation Statistics. National House-­

hold Travel Survey 2001 Highlights Report, BTS03-05. 

2003. Washington, DC: Department of Transportation. 

Available online at www.bts.gov/products/­national_

household_travel_survey/highlights_of_the_2001/

pdf/entire.pdf