Quick Facts 2012

General Statistics

Fatal Crashes

2012 30,800

2011 29,867

2010 30,296

Source: FARS

Fatalities

2012 33,561

2011 32,479

2010 32,999

Source: FARS

Police-Reported Crashes

2012 5,615,000

2011 5,338,000

2010 5,419,000

Source: GES

People Injured

2012 2,362,000

2011 2,217,000

2010 2,239,000

Source: GES

Fatality Rate per 

100 Million VMT

2012 1.14

2011 1.10

2010 1.11

Source: FARS/FHWA

Fatality Rate per 

100,000 Population

2012 10.69

2011 10.42

2010 10.67

Source: FARS/Census

Injury Rate per 

100 Million VMT

2012 80

2011 75

2010 75

Source: GES/FHWA

Injury Rate per 

100,000 Population

2012 752

2011 712

2010 724

Source: GES/Census

Occupant Fatality Rate per 100 Million 

VMT by Vehicle Type

Passenger 

Cars

Light 

Trucks

Large 

Trucks

Motorcycles

2012 0.89 0.73 0.26 23.27

2011 0.88 0.73 0.24 24.97

2010 0.83 0.86 0.18 24.40

Source: FARS/FHWA.

Rural Versus 

Urban Fatalities*

Rural Urban

2012 18,170 (54%) 15,296 (46%)

2011 17,769 (55%) 14,575 (45%)

2010 18,089 (55%) 14,659 (45%)

Source: FARS *Percent based on known land use.

Exposure Data

Vehicle Miles of Travel (Millions) by Vehicle Type

Passenger Cars Light Trucks Large Trucks Motorcycles Total

2012 1,377,833 1,286,612 268,318 21,298 2,968,815

2011 1,369,898 1,280,560 267,595 18,542 2,950,402

2010 1,507,716 1,140,740 286,527 18,513 2,967,266

Source: FHWA, revised by NHTSA.

Registered Vehicles by Vehicle Type

Passenger Cars Light Trucks Large Trucks Motorcycles Total*

2012 127,091,286 118,677,080 10,659,380 8,454,939 265,647,194

2011 126,974,845 118,694,258 10,270,693 8,437,502 265,043,362

2010 135,310,480 102,376,147 10,770,054 8,009,503 257,312,235

Source: FHWA and R.L. Polk & Co. *Total includes buses.

1

Note: Due to an enhancement in the passenger car and light truck registration data provided by R.L. Polk & Co. for 2011 

and 2012, registration counts for those years changed considerably from the counts provided for 2010. This should be 

taken into account when comparing registration numbers for 2010 with those for 2011 and 2012.
Quick Facts 2012

Clock Facts

Fatalities 

per Day

2012 92

2011 89

2010 90

Source: FARS

Alcohol-Impaired Driving 

Fatalities per Day

2012 28

2011 27

2010 28

Source: FARS

Pedestrian Fatalities per 

Day

2012 13

2011 12

2010 12

Source: FARS

People Injured 

per Day

2012 6,454

2011 6,074

2010 6,134

Source: GES

Pedestrians Injured 

per Day

2012 208

2011 189

2010 192

Source: GES

Alcohol

Alcohol-Impaired Driving

Fatal Crashes

2012 8,364

2011 8,997

2010 9,248

Source: FARS

Percent of Drivers Involved in Fatal Crashes 

Who Had a BAC of .08 or Higher, by Vehicle Type

Passenger Cars Light Trucks Large Trucks Motorcycles

2012 23% 22% 2% 27%

2011 24% 21% 1% 29%

2010 24% 22% 1% 29%

Source: FARS

Alcohol-Impaired Driving Fatalities and 

Fatality Rate per 100 Million VMT

Fatalities Fatality Rate

2012 10,322 0.35

2011 9,865 0.33

2010 10,136 0.34

Source: FARS/FHWA

Percent of Drivers Involved in Fatal Crashes Who Had a BAC of .08 or Higher, by Age

16-20 21-24 25-34 35-44 45-54 55-64 65-74 75+ Total

2012 18% 32% 29% 25% 21% 14% 9% 5% 21%

2011 20% 32% 30% 24% 21% 14% 8% 5% 21%

2010 18% 34% 30% 25% 21% 14% 8% 4% 22%

Source: FARS

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Quick Facts 2012

Occupant Protection

Nationwide Seat Belt 

Use Rate 

2012 86%

2011 84%

2010 85%

Source: NOPUS

Child Restraint Use by Age

<4 Years 4-7 Years 8-12 Years

2012 -- -- --

2011 96% 90% 88%

2010 -- -- --

Source: NSUBS 

Passenger Vehicle Occupant Fatalities Who Were Unrestrained*, by Age Group

<4 Years 4-7 Years 8-12 Years 13-15 Years 16-20 Years 21+ Total

2012 71 (31%) 68 (38%) 80 (45%) 140 (59%) 1,423 (60%) 8,541 (51%) 10,335 (52%)

2011 59 (30%) 60 (33%) 102 (45%) 160 (65%) 1,538 (60%) 8,285 (51%) 10,215 (52%)

2010 59 (26%) 77 (41%) 84 (43%) 152 (57%) 1,538 (60%) 8,667 (51%) 10,590 (52%)

Source: FARS *Where restraint use was known.

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Children

Children (<5 Years Old) Fatalities by Person Type

Total Total Occupants Passenger Vehicle 

Occupants Nonoccupants

2012 405 306 298 99

2011 358 277 273 81

2010 403 298 291 105

Source: FARS

Children (<5 Years Old) Injured by Person Type

Total Total Occupants Passenger Vehicle 

Occupants Nonoccupants

2012 41,000 39,000 39,000 2,000

2011 48,000 46,000 46,000 2,000

2010 41,000 39,000 39,000 2,000

Source: GES
Quick Facts 2012

Motorcycles

Motorcyclist 

Fatalities

2012 4,957

2011 4,630

2010 4,518

Source: FARS

Motorcyclists 

Injured

2012 93,000

2011 81,000

2010 82,000

Source: GES

 Motorcyclist Fatalities Unhelmeted*

2012 2,036 (42%)

2011 1,852 (41%)

2010 1,868 (42%)

Source: FARS 

*Percent where helmet use was known.

4

School Bus

Total School Bus 

Occupant Fatalities*

School Bus Special-Use 

School Bus

2012 12 2

2011 9 2

2010 14 2

Source: FARS *In school-bus-related crashes.

School Bus Occupant (Age 18 and 

Younger) Fatalities* 

School Bus Special-Use 

School Bus

2012 8 0

2011 3 0

2010 9 0

Source: FARS *In school-bus-related crashes.

Pedestrian Fatalities (Age 18 and Younger) Struck by School Bus* 

School Bus Special-Use School Bus

2012 4 0

2011 5 1

2010 8 0

Source: FARS *In school-bus-related crashes.

Speeding

Speeding-Related Fatalities

2012 10,219 (30%)

2011 10,001 (31%)

2010 10,508 (32%)

Source: FARS
Quick Facts 2012

5

Pedestrians

Pedestrian 

Fatalities

2012 4,743

2011 4,457

2010 4,302

Source: FARS

Pedestrians 

Injured

2012 76,000

2011 69,000

2010 70,000

Source: GES

Fatally Injured Pedestrians* Who 

Had Been Drinking

2012 1,805 (40%)

2011 1,744 (41%)

2010 1,608 (40%)

Source: FARS *Age 14 and older.

Pedalcyclists

Pedalcyclist Fatalities

2012 726

2011 682

2010 623

Source: FARS

Pedalcyclists Injured

2012 49,000

2011 48,000

2010 52,000

Source: GES

Large Trucks

Fatalities in Crashes Involving 

Large Trucks

2012 3,921

2011 3,781

2010 3,686

Source: FARS

People Injured in Crashes Involving 

Large Trucks

2012 104,000

2011 88,000

2010 80,000

Source: GES

Percent of Fatalities in Crashes Involving Large Trucks by Person Type

Truck Occupants Occupants of Other Vehicles Nonoccupants

2012 18% 73% 10%

2011 17% 72% 11%

2010 14% 76% 10%

Source: FARS
Quick Facts 2012

6

Lives Saved

Lives Saved by Age

Seat Belts

5 & Older

Frontal Air 

Bags

13 & Older

Child 

Restraints

4 & Younger

Minimum 

Drinking Age 

Laws

Motorcycle 

Helmets

2012 12,174 2,213 284 525 1,699

2011 11,983 2,210 262 535 1,622

2010 12,582 2,315 303 552 1,556

Source: Crash*Stats “Lives Saved in 2012 by Restraint Use and Minimum Drinking Age Laws” 

(DOT HS 811 851, November 2013) www-nrd.nhtsa.dot.gov/Pubs/811851.pdf

Additional Lives Savable by Seat Belts at Higher Use Rates*

For a 1% Increase At 90% Use At 100% Use

206 835 3,031

Source: NCSA *Compared with 2012 national seat belt use rate of 86%.

DOT HS 812 006

May 2014 10554-050814-v5

Leading Cause of Death

Motor vehicle traffic crashes were the leading cause of death for age 4 and every age 

11 through 27 (based on latest available 2009 data).

Source: National Center for Health Statistics (NCHS) Centers for Disease Control (CDC), Mortality Data, 2009.