a)

U.S. Department
of Transportation

National Highway
Trattic Satety
Administration

Research Note

August 1996

Rural and Urban Crashes -- A Comparative Analysis

NHTSA’s National Center for Statistics and
Analysis (NCSA) recently completed a study
comparing the characteristics of crashes
occurring in rural areas to the characteristics
of crashes occurring in urban areas. The
NCSA study examines the characteristics of
rural crashes of all severities and contrasts
key attributes with urban crashes of all
severities.

Data from three sources were used to
examine the similarities and differences in the
characteristics of rural crashes vs. urban
crashes. Comparisons of specific crash,
driver/person, and vehicle characteristics for
tural vs. urban crashes were studied in each
of the three data sources. First, the study
examines data from the Fatal Accident
Reporting System (FARS) for the period
1975 - 1993 to compare the characteristics
of rural fatal crashes to the characteristics of
urban fatal crashes. For crashes of lower
severity, data were used from three of the
seventeen state files maintained by NCSA,
Illinois, Pennsylvania, and New Mexico, for
the period 1989 - 1993. These states were
used in the study, as information on whether
or not the crash occurred in a rural or urban
area is recorded in the crash files. Finally,
data from NHTSA’s Crash Outcome
Evaluation System (CODES) project were
used to contrast safety belt use and medical
costs for persons injured in rural crashes
compared to those injured in urban crashes.
The CODES project, based upon linked
crash, medical, and cost data from the states
of Hawaii, Maine, Missouri, New York,

Pennsylvania, Utah, and Wisconsin, was
undertaken in response to Section 1031(b) of
the Intermodal Suface Transportation
Efficiency Act (ISTEA) of 1991.

For the comparisons of rural and urban fatal
crashes from FARS, the study noted that
while there are approximately 40% more
fatal crashes and fatalities occurring in rural
areas compared to urban areas; fewer vehicle
miles traveled (VMT) occur in rural areas,
resulting in higher fatality rates for rural
areas for each year in the period studied. It
was noted that rural fatal crashes compared
to urban fatal crashes, have a larger
proportion of crashes with:

more than one fatality per crash;

a truck involved;

a vehicle rollover;

severe vehicle damage;

a head-on collision; and

ejected persons.

In addition, the time for emergency medical
services (EMS) to reach the fatal crash scene
is longer in rural areas than in urban areas.

cece eee

For the comparisons of rural and urban
crashes of all severities using the state data
from Illinois, Pennsylvania, and New
Mexico, some similarities with the findings
for rural fatal crashes were noted.
Specifically, crashes in rural areas have a
larger proportion involving:

. more than one person per vehicle;
. a single vehicle;
. a truck or van;

National Center for Statistics & Analysis - Research & Development - 400 Seventh st. sw
- Washington, DC 20590


a vehicle rollover;

striking a fixed object;
severe vehicle damage; and
serious injury.

Using the CODES data, the safety belt use
and medical costs of persons injured in rural
crashes were compared to that for persons
injured in urban crashes. Safety belt use was
usually lower for hospitalized persons of
rural crashes. The CODES data also
indicated that crashes in rural areas are more
severe: a person is as much as three times as
likely to suffer a fatality, when involved in a

rural crash.

The study, Rural and Urban Crashes -- A
Comparative Analysis, by Joseph M.
Tessmer (DOT HS-808 450, August 1996)
provides an extensive amount of information
on these and other comparisons between the
characteristics of rural and urban crashes.
For a copy of the report, please contact
NCSA, at (202) 366-4198 [fax (202 366-
7078] or the National Technical Information
Service (NTIS), 5285 Port Royal Road,
Springfield VA 22161, (703) 487-4650 [fax
(703) 321-8547].

National Center for Statistics & Analysis - Research & Development - 400 Seventh st. SW

- Washington,

De 20590