DOT HS 809 956 May 2006 

Technical Report 

Race and Ethnicity in Fatal Motor Vehicle 

Traffic Crashes 1999 - 2004 

Published By: 

NHTSA’s 

National Center for Statistics and Analysis 
Technical Report Documentation Page 

1. Report No. 

DOT HS 809 956 

2. Government Accession 3. Recipients's Catalog No. 

4. Title and Subtitle 5. Report Date May 2006 

Race and Ethnicity 

Factors in Fatal Motor Vehicle Traffic Crashes 1999 – 2004 6. Performing Organization Code 

NPO-121 

7. Author(s) 

Judith Hilton

8. Performing Organization Report No. 

9. Performing Organization Name and Address 10. Work Unit No. (TRAIS)n code 

Mathematical Analysis Division, National Center for Statistics and 

Analysis 

National Highway Traffic Safety Administration 

U.S. Department of Transportation 

NPO-121, 400 Seventh Street SW., Washington, DC 20590 

11. Contract of Grant No. 

13. Type of Report and Period Covered 

NHTSA Technical Report 

12. Sponsoring Agency Name and Address 

Mathematical Analysis Division, National Center for Statistics and 

Analysis 

National Highway Traffic Safety Administration 

U.S. Department of Transportation 

NPO-121, 400 Seventh Street SW., Washington, DC 20590 

14. Sponsoring Agency Code 

15. Supplementary Notes 

The author wishes to thank Rajesh Subramanian for calculations of the leading causes of death from the 2002 Centers for Disease

Control/National Center for Health Statistics Mortality Files, and Marilouise Burgess for her invaluable help in assembling this 

report in Microsoft Word. 

16. Abstract 

Because of the growing concern in the motor vehicle traffic safety community over the high number of minority fatalities, this 

report was written to describe the differences among racial and ethnic groups in the frequency of occurrence of characteristics or 

behaviors associated with fatalities in motor vehicle traffic crashes. When measured against deaths from all causes, motor vehicle 

traffic crashes have accounted for disproportionately large percentages, particularly among Native Americans and Hispanics. 

Alcohol has played a major role in the deaths of both drivers and pedestrians. Additional factors contributing to higher numbers 

have been lack of valid licensing for drivers, and lower usage of safety belts, child safety seats, and motorcycle helmets by all but 

Asian/Pacific Islanders. Compared to all others, African American children were killed in disproportionately high numbers in both 

urban and rural settings. 

17. Key Words 

Native American, Hispanic, African/American, Black, White, 

Asian/Pacific Islander, alcohol, safety belts, child safety seats, 

motorcycle helmets, license validity, US population, race, 

ethnicity, drivers, pedestrians

18. Distribution Statement 

Document is available to the public through the National 

Technical Information Service, Springfield, VA 22161 

19. Security Classif. (of this report)

 Unclassified 

20. Security Classif. (of this page)

 Unclassified 

21. No of Pages

34 

22. Price

Form DOT F1700.7 (8-72) Reproduction of completed page authorized 
Table of Contents

EXECUTIVE SUMMARY i 

1 INTRODUCTION 1 

2 POPULATIONS 1 

3. DATA SOURCES 2 

4. DEFINITIONS 3 

5. LEADING CAUSES OF DEATH 3 

6. DRIVERS 

6.1 Alcohol 8 

6.2 Licensing 11 

6.3 Prior Convictions 12 

6.4 Crash Type 13 

7. RESTRAINT USE IN PASSENGER VEHICLES 

7.1 Child Restraints for Age 4 and Younger 14 

7.2 Other Vehicle Occupants 15 

7.3 National Occupant Protection Use Survey 16 

8. HELMET USE FOR MOTORCYCLE RIDERS 16 

9. PEDESTRIANS AND OTHER NON-OCCUPANTS 

9.1 Fatalities 18 

9.2 Alcohol 19 

10. CONCLUSIONS 20 

Race and Ethnicity in Fatal Motor Vehicle 

 Traffic Crashes, 1999-2004 

EXECUTIVE SUMMARY 

Background 

This report describes the differences among racial and ethnic populations in the frequency of 

occurrence of characteristics or behaviors associated with fatal motor vehicle crashes. Leading 

cause of death data1 from 2002, the latest year available, showed that 6.8 percent of deaths from 

all causes were attributable to motor vehicle traffic crashes for Native Americans and more than 

4.7 percent for Hispanics or Latinos. For the non-Hispanic White population, the percentage of 

those dying from traffic crashes was just below 1.6 percent, and for Black or African Americans 

and Asians and Pacific Islanders, the percentages were 1.8 percent and 2.5 percent, respectively. 

The Native American population is comparatively small and does not appear to be growing 

proportionally. However, the Hispanic-Latino portion of the United States population in the year 

2050 is projected to be double that population in 2000, according to projections by the U.S. 

Census Bureau. 

Findings 

Drunk driving continues to play a major role in the motor vehicle traffic crash experience across 

race, ethnic, age and gender divides. Data showed that the percentage of fatally injured drivers 

who were drinking was highest for Native Americans (57%) and Hispanics or Latinos (47%). 

This trend appeared to be independent of such socioeconomic influences as education levels or 

the proportion of female-to-male drivers in the population of drivers killed. 

Fatally injured Native American and Hispanic drivers, followed by African American drivers, 

were less likely to hold valid licenses than White or Asian and Pacific Islander drivers. 

Moreover, these Native American drivers were more likely to have had prior driving while 

intoxicated (DWI) convictions and license suspensions, but African American drivers were the 

most likely to have had speeding convictions and convictions for other moving violations. 

For those killed in passenger vehicles, safety belts for children and adults, and safety seats for 

small children were not used as frequently by those in minority groups when compared with the 

non-Hispanic White population. More than half of African American, Native American, and 

Hispanic or Latino children under 5 years of age were not in child safety seats. Asian and Pacific 

Islander children younger than 4 years of age were more likely to be in child safety seats or 

belted, and 58 percent of White children were in child safety seats and another 11 percent belted. 

Among these three groups, fatally injured African Americans, Native Americans, and Hispanics 

or Latinos had the lowest rates of safety belt use for those 5 years of age and older. The highest 

safety belt use rate was for Asians and Pacific Islanders at 48 percent. 

 

1

 See Motor Vehicle Traffic Crashes as a Leading Cause of Death in the U.S., 2002 – A Demographic Perspective. 

NHTSA’s National Center for Statistics and Analysis 400 Seventh Street SW., Washington, DC 20590 

i
Fatally injured Native American and Hispanic motorcycle riders were the least likely to have 

been wearing helmets with a helmet use rate of 47 percent for both groups. Fatally injured White 

motorcycle riders were helmeted 51 percent of the time, while Black motorcycle riders wore 

helmets 58 percent of the time. The highest rate of helmet use by fatally injured motorcycle 

riders was for Asians and Pacific Islanders, at 67 percent. In the 19 States with universal helmet 

laws through April 2004, at least 80 percent of all fatally injured motorcycle riders wore 

motorcycle helmets. 

Fatalities of pedestrians and other people not in vehicles as percentages of all motor vehicle 

traffic fatalities were highest primarily for African American children in the 4–15 age range and 

next for Asians and Pacific Islanders in the oldest (older than 64) age group. This situation was 

true for Black children, whether the crashes were urban or rural. However, a large majority of 

these crashes were urban. 

NHTSA’s National Center for Statistics and Analysis 400 Seventh Street SW., Washington, DC 20590 

ii
1. INTRODUCTION 

As the United States becomes increasingly multicultural, the National Highway Traffic 

Administration (NHTSA) must seek out, through its traffic safety programs, new and more 

effective ways to reduce behaviors contributing to motor vehicle traffic crashes. This report 

presents the current available data to assist NHTSA in the development of countermeasures to 

reach those most at risk of death or injury in a motor vehicle crash. 

Racial and ethnic minorities are disproportionately killed in traffic crashes, compared with the 

much larger non-Hispanic White population. Though motor vehicle traffic fatalities clearly are a 

major public health problem for all Americans, this subject is of considerable concern in the 

highway traffic safety community. Of particular interest is the large number of fatalities in the 

Hispanic or Latino population because this ethnic group recently has become the largest minority 

group in the United States. 

Population projections from the U.S. Census Bureau indicate that the Hispanic population 

(currently constituting about 13 percent of the U.S. resident population) will experience such 

growth that, by the year 2050, nearly a quarter of all residents in the United States will be of 

Hispanic origin, and the non-Hispanic White population will drop to about a half of all 

Americans. This population shift could considerably affect motor vehicle fatality and injury rates 

in the future unless cultural differences and sensitivities are adequately addressed. 

The focus of this report is not on involvement rates for the various populations but rather on 

detecting trends among these populations contributing to the likelihood of motor vehicle traffic 

crash fatalities. 

Data available on race and ethnicity among motorists and others killed and injured in motor 

vehicle crashes in this country, however, do not answer several important questions, such as 

whether the subject was first generation and, if so, how long the person had resided in the United 

States, and how well the individual spoke English. We also have very little data on the socioeconomic background of those involved in motor vehicle traffic crashes. 

2. POPULATIONS 

Census data starting in 1990 show steady yearly proportional increases for all minority groups, 

except Native Americans. Based on the 1990 Census, the largest rate of increase between 1990 

and 2000 was for the Hispanic population at 40 percent, followed by Asians and Pacific Islanders 

at 35 percent. The rate of increase for African Americans was less than 8 percent, and for nonHispanic White persons, the change was a decrease of 8 percent. These trends are expected to 

continue in the future. Table 1 shows population projections from the U.S. Census Bureau, based 

on the 2000 Census. 

NHTSA’s National Center for Statistics and Analysis 400 Seventh Street SW., Washington, DC 20590 

1
Table 1: Percentages of Total Population by Year 

Year 2000 2010 2020 2030 2040 2050 

White, not Hispanic 69.4 65.1 61.3 57.5 53.7 50.1 

African American 12.7 13.1 13.5 13.9 14.3 14.6 

Asian 3.8 4.6 5.4 6.2 7.1 8.0 

All Other Races * 2.5 3.0 3.5 4.1 4.7 5.3 

Hispanic (any race) 12.6 15.5 17.8 20.1 22.3 24.4 

Population Total 

*Includes American Indians and Alaska Natives, Native Hawaiians and Other Pacific Islanders, plus two or more 

races. 

(in thousands) 282,125 308,936 335,805 391,946 391,946 419,854 

Source: U.S. Census Bureau 2000 

Percentages shown in the yearly columns sum to slightly more than 100 percent because of 

double counts in the Hispanic row. These overcounts occur because a small number of Hispanics 

are counted in the African American and even Asian populations. The Census Bureau data 

include no projections for Native Americans because they are included in the Other Races 

category. 

3. DATA SOURCES 

The Fatality Analysis Reporting System (FARS), since 1975, has collected data from all motor 

vehicle traffic crashes in which a fatality occurred. To be included in FARS, the crash must 

occur on a public trafficway and result in a death within 30 days from the date of the crash. In 

1999, for the first time, race and ethnicity were added to the list of variables collected in the 

FARS system. This information is available only for fatally injured individuals and derives 

mainly from death certificates. Because death certificates cannot always be obtained, some data 

will be missing. 

In the initial year (1999), about 85 percent of the fatality records included race, and 78 percent 

included Hispanic origin. These rates gradually increased to about 92 percent for race and 91 

percent for Hispanic origin in 2003. Data from the FARS 2004 Annual Report File, published in 

2005, were used in this report, although some data on race and ethnicity are missing. Some of the 

missing data will be available upon the release of the FARS 2004 Final File later this year. The 

missing data should not substantially bias the results of this research. 

Before 1999, race and Hispanic origin data were obtainable only by linking FARS data with 

mortality data from the Centers for Disease Control’s National Center for Health Statistics 

(NCHS). For reasons of privacy and to comply with the terms of the NHTSA’s agreement with 

the individual states and the District of Columbia, the linked files are not in the public domain. 

Though these linked data are not particularly timely, they nevertheless have some usefulness in 

this report. 

NHTSA’s National Center for Statistics and Analysis 400 Seventh Street SW., Washington, DC 20590 

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Leading cause of death analyses are derived from the same NCHS data source, not from the 

linked files but from the public use data file for 2002. 

Third are results from NHTSA’s National Occupant Protection Use Survey (NOPUS) from years 

2002 and 2004. NOPUS is a probability-based annual survey of observed safety belt use in the 

United States. This survey is conducted during daylight hours by observers at randomly selected 

roadway intersections controlled by a stop sign or a traffic light. Data are collected for the driver, 

right-front passenger, and up to two passengers in the rear. Age and race are the subjective 

descriptions by the observers who do not interview the occupants. Race is judged as White, 

Black, or other. No attempt is made to characterize Hispanic origin. 

4. DEFINITIONS 

Data from the CDC NCHS and from the FARS list race and ethnicity (Hispanic origin) as 

separate entities, but people of Hispanic or Latino origin may be of any race. Used together, 

these variables give double counts (i.e., White Hispanics would be counted in both White and 

Hispanic columns). To avoid this problem when the variables are used together, the following 

scheme has been applied: Records coded with “unknown if of Hispanic origin” have been 

deleted for White and Black races but retained for Asian, Pacific Islander, and Native American 

records. For example, individual records coded as White or Black for race and “unknown if of 

Hispanic origin” as to ethnicity have been deleted. In the case of Native Americans, Asians and 

Pacific Islanders, these records have been kept but are not counted as persons of Hispanic origin. 

This scheme furnishes the five categories used in the analyses with no overlapping. 

 1 White or Caucasian, non-Hispanic 

 2 Black or African American, non-Hispanic 

 3 Native Americans, including Alaska natives 

 4 Asian or Pacific Islander, including Hawaiian 

 5 Hispanic or Latino, Latina 

The Native Americans, Asians, and Pacific Islanders also coded “Hispanic origin” or “unknown 

if of Hispanic origin” were very few. 

In 1977, the Office of Management and Budget issued Race and Ethnicity Standards for Federal 

Statistics and Administrative Reporting. The four race classes in the publication were American 

Indian or Alaska Native, Asian or Pacific Islander, Black, and White. Although 1997 standards 

modified these classes by separating Pacific Islanders and Hawaiians from Asians, this report 

uses the earlier classification because of the small numbers in these groups. In this report, race 

and ethnicity terms are used interchangeably. 

5. LEADING CAUSE OF DEATH 

Based on mortality data from the CDC’s National Center for Health Statistics, the NHTSA 

annually calculates the leading cause of death for all races and age groups. Data for this report 

are from calendar year 2002, the latest year available. Race and ethnicity are grouped as 

described above, and age groups are divided by NHTSA-defined “groups of interest,” as follows: 

Infants younger than 1 year, toddlers 1–3 years, young children 4–7 years, children 8–15 years, 

NHTSA’s National Center for Statistics and Analysis 400 Seventh Street SW., Washington, DC 20590 

3
youth 16–20 years, young adults 21–24 years, other adults 25–34 years, 35–44 years, 45–64 

years, and the elderly 65+ years. 

Overall, for Americans of all ages, races and ethnicity, motor vehicle traffic crashes were the 

eighth leading cause of death in 2002. However, for young children, children, youth, young 

adults, and other adults 25–34, motor vehicle traffic fatalities were the most frequent cause of 

death and the second most frequent cause of death for toddlers. 

For Blacks or African Americans, homicide replaced motor vehicle traffic crashes as the leading 

cause for youth and young adults. Homicide was the most frequent cause of death for toddlers 

and for other adults 25–34, moving motor vehicle crashes into the third place for these two age 

groups. For all ages combined, in contrast to the other groups, motor vehicle traffic crashes did 

not rank in the top 10 causes for African Americans. 

Ranked seventh overall for Asians and Pacific Islanders, motor vehicle crashes were the most 

frequent cause of death for toddlers, children, youth, and young adults. Malignant neoplasms 

(cancer) replaced motor vehicle traffic crashes for young children and other adults 25–34. 

Motor vehicle traffic crashes had the most serious consequences for Native Americans. They 

were most frequent cause of death for all age groups from young children through other adults 

35–44 and the second-ranked cause for toddlers (the number one cause of death for this age 

group is homicide). For all ages combined, motor vehicle crashes were the third leading cause of 

death for Native Americans. 

Motor vehicle traffic crashes were the fifth leading cause of death for all persons of Hispanic or 

Latino origin. They were the leading cause for all age groups toddlers through other adults 25–34 

and the second most frequent cause for other adults 35–44. 

Leading Cause of Death ranks are summed up in Table 2. Blanks indicate ranks below 10th. 

NHTSA’s National Center for Statistics and Analysis 400 Seventh Street SW., Washington, DC 20590 

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Table 2: Motor Vehicle Traffic Crashes Ranked as a Leading Cause of Death - 2002 

Age Group Resident 

Population

NonHispanic 

White 

NonHispanic 

Black 

Asian/ 

Pacific 

Islander 

Native 

American 

Hispanic 

or 

Latino 

Infants < 1 8 8 9 7 7 8 

Toddlers 1-3 2 3 3 3 2 1 

Young Children 4-7 1 2 1 2 1 1 

Children 8-15 1 1 1 2 1 1 

Youth 16-20 1 1 2 1 1 1 

Young Adults 21-24 1 1 2 1 1 1 

Adults 25-34 1 1 3 2 1 1 

Adults 35-44 3 4 5 3 1 2 

Adults 45-64 8 8 10 5 5 6 

Adults > 64 - - - - - - 

All Ages 8 8 - 7 3 5 

Source: CDC NCHS Mortality Data 2002 

NHTSA’s National Center for Statistics and Analysis 400 Seventh Street SW., Washington, DC 20590 

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In 2002, almost 7 percent of all Native American deaths and nearly 5 percent of Hispanic-Latino 

deaths were attributable to motor vehicle traffic crashes. The percentages were significantly 

lower for non-Hispanic White and African American populations, as well as for Asians and 

Pacific Islanders. These percentages are listed in Figure 1. 

Figure 1: Motor Vehicle Crash Deaths as Percent of All Deaths, 

All Ages Combined

0%

2%

4%

6%

8%

10%

Non-Hispanic

Whites

Non-Hispanic

Blacks

Native

Americans

Asian/Pacific

Islanders

Hispanic

Percent

 5,503 

977

845

 31,326 5,267 

Source: CDC NCHS Mortality Data 2002 

For more information on motor vehicle crashes as a leading cause of death by race and ethnicity, 

see Motor Vehicle Traffic Crashes as a Leading Cause of Death in the U.S., 2002 — A 

Demographic Perspective. 

NHTSA’s National Center for Statistics and Analysis 400 Seventh Street SW., Washington, DC 20590 

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Analyzing the same data into the NHTSA-designated age groups, Figure 2 shows that in almost 

every age group from Young Children 4–7 through Adults 45–64, motor vehicle traffic crashes 

claimed the lives of Native Americans in greater proportions than in any other racial/ethnic 

group. A striking exception was in the children 8–15 age group where non-Hispanic White 

fatalities were over 40 percent of all deaths. It should be noted also that White fatalities in the 

youth 16–20 group were as large as the proportion for Native Americans. The relatively high 

percentage of deaths for toddlers ages 1–3 in the Hispanic population warrants serious attention. 

Figure 2: Motor Vehicle Crash Deaths as Percentages

 of All Deaths by Age Group

0%

5%

10%

15%

20%

25%

30%

35%

40%

45%

50%

Under 1 1-3 4-7 8-15 16-20 21-24 25-34 35-44 45-64

Age Group

Percent

Non-Hispanic White

Non-Hispanic Black

Native American

Asian/Pacific Islander

Hispanic

Source: CDC NCHS Mortality Data 2002 

NHTSA’s National Center for Statistics and Analysis 400 Seventh Street SW., Washington, DC 20590 

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6. DRIVERS 

6.1 Alcohol

Drinking drivers have always played a major role in making motor vehicle traffic crashes a 

serious public health problem and a leading cause of death. Figure 3 shows percentages of fatally 

injured drivers who were drinking or not drinking by blood alcohol concentration (BAC). The 

higher percentages of drinking drivers for Native Americans and Hispanics correlate with the 

increased likelihood of roadway deaths for these groups. Asian and Pacific Islanders exhibited 

the lowest percentages of driver alcohol, but non-Hispanic White and Black groups were 

approximately in between the other groups and nearly coequal. As a corollary to these metrics, 

chronic liver disease was the sixth most frequent cause of death for both Native Americans and 

Hispanics. Chronic liver disease was not among the top 10 causes for other groups in 2002. 

A citation for driving while intoxicated may be issued for a BAC level of .08, the legal limit and 

an indication of significant impairment. 

Multiple-imputation methodology has been used for this chart.2

Figure 3: Fatally Injured Drivers by Race and Ethnicity 

and Blood Alcohol Concentration

0%

20%

40%

60%

80%

100%

White Black Native American Asian/PI Hispanic

Percent

No Alcohol <.08 BAC >= .08 BAC

Source: FARS 1999-2004 

 

2

 See Multiple Imputation of Missing Blood Alcohol Concentration (BAC) Values in FARS. 

NHTSA’s National Center for Statistics and Analysis 400 Seventh Street SW., Washington, DC 20590 

8
Other factors, such as level of education, may enter into the equation and confound the results. 

For Figure 4, FARS/NCHS Multiple Cause of Death linked data have been used for calendar 

years 1990–1998. 

Figure 4 shows that though the percentage of drinking drivers decreased with increasing 

education, the stratification by race and ethnicity remained. Many States do not include 

education level on the death certificate, so we have only a small sample when we include this 

variable. With fewer than 20 observations for a combination of race, ethnicity, drinking, and 

education, the bar on the chart is missing. Some skewing will be unavoidable; however, we have 

enough data to illustrate the point. Police-reported driver drinking was the determining factor for 

alcohol. 

Figure 4: Percentages of Drivers Killed Who Were 

Drinking by Race/Ethnicity and Education

0%

20%

40%

60%

80%

100%

No Formal Grade

School

Some High

School

High

School

Grad

Some

College

College

Grad

Grad

School

Percent

White Black Asian/PI Native American Hispanic Latino

Source: FARS/NCHS linked data 1990-1998 

Another possible influencing factor would be the proportion of male-to-female drivers because 

females traditionally have lower rates for alcohol use and other risky behaviors. Hispanics had a 

much higher proportion of males to females in the population of fatally injured drivers than any 

other ethnic group, and this proportion would tend to raise the rate. 

NHTSA’s National Center for Statistics and Analysis 400 Seventh Street SW., Washington, DC 20590 

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Only about 17 percent of the Hispanic drivers killed were female, compared to about 24 percent 

for African Americans, about 27 percent for non-Hispanic Whites and Asians and Pacific 

Islanders, and more than 31 percent for Native Americans. 

Figure 5 shows the proportions of male and female driver fatalities for each racial and ethnic 

group. 

Figure 5: Drivers Killed by Sex and Race/Ethnicity

0%

20%

40%

60%

80%

100%

White Black Native American Asian/PI Hispanic

Percent

Male Female

Source: FARS 1999-2004 

Not only did a large proportion of the Native American population include female drivers when 

compared to the other racial and ethnic groups, but the percentage of female drinking drivers was 

considerably higher than in the other groups. This factor also tends to increase the overall rate for 

alcohol for Native Americans. 

NHTSA’s National Center for Statistics and Analysis 400 Seventh Street SW., Washington, DC 20590 

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Figure 6 shows alcohol estimates for fatally injured male and female drivers separately. 

Multiple-imputation methodology was used for this chart. 

Figure 6: Percentages of Drivers Killed with Alcohol

 by Sex and Race or Ethnicity

0%

20%

40%

60%

80%

100%

White Black Native American Asian/PI Hispanic

Percent

Male Female

Source: FARS 1999-2004 

6.2 Licensing

Native American and Hispanic or Latino drivers killed were less likely to have had valid licenses 

than other racial or ethnic groups. Valid licenses include learners’ permits and temporary 

licenses. Invalid licenses include suspended, revoked, expired, canceled or denied, and no license 

(never had one). 

NHTSA’s National Center for Statistics and Analysis 400 Seventh Street SW., Washington, DC 20590 

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Asian and Pacific Islander drivers, followed by non-Hispanic White drivers, had the highest rate 

of valid licenses (more than 89% in each category). The lowest rate was for Native American 

drivers at about 67 percent, followed by Hispanic drivers at 69 percent. The percentage of valid 

licenses for Black or African American drivers (77%) ranked in the middle. Figure 7 shows these 

percentages. 

Figure 7: Percentages of Drivers Killed by License Validity 

and Race or Ethnicity

0%

20%

40%

60%

80%

100%

Non-Hispanic

White

Non-Hispanic

Black

Native American Asian/Pacific

Islander

Hispanic

Percent

Valid Invalid

Source: FARS 1999-2004 

6.3 Prior Convictions

FARS data files include five counters for previous convictions: 1) earlier crashes; 2) driving 

while intoxicated (DWI); 3) speeding; 4) license suspensions; and 5) other moving violations. 

These convictions must have occurred no more than three years before the crash date and do not 

include the current crash. Connecticut, Georgia, and Wisconsin do not record prior convictions; 

hence, data from these States have been omitted from the calculations. 

Fatally injured African Americans had the highest percentage with prior convictions for speeding 

and other moving violations. Fatally injured Native Americans had the highest percentage for 

DWI convictions and license suspensions but the lowest percentage with prior recorded crashes 

and speeding convictions. Figure 8 shows the percentages of fatally injured drivers who had 

prior convictions in any of the five categories. 

NHTSA’s National Center for Statistics and Analysis 400 Seventh Street SW., Washington, DC 20590 

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Figure 8: Percentages of Drivers Killed with One or More 

Previous Convictions by Race or Ethnicity

0%

5%

10%

15%

20%

25%

30%

35%

40%

45%

50%

Crashes DWIs Speeding Suspensions Other 

Percent

Non-Hispanic White

Non-Hispanic Black

Native American

Asian/Pacific Islander

Hispanic

Source: FARS 1999-2004 

6.4 Crash Type

White, Black, and Hispanic drivers were killed in approximately equal numbers in single-vehicle 

and multi-vehicle crashes. Asian and Pacific Island drivers, however, were less often fatally 

injured in single-vehicle crashes (45%), and Native American drivers were involved more often 

in single-vehicle crashes (58%). The national average for drivers killed is 49 percent in singlevehicle crashes and 51 percent in multi-vehicle crashes. 

NHTSA’s National Center for Statistics and Analysis 400 Seventh Street SW., Washington, DC 20590 

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7. RESTRAINT USE IN PASSENGER VEHICLES 3

7.1 Restraints for Age 4 and Younger

Fatally injured Native American children were the least likely to have used child safety seats 

(only about 27%) and also the least likely to have been wearing safety belts (less than 7%). Black 

and Hispanic children were less likely than White or Asian and Pacific Islander children to have 

used child safety seats (roughly 33% and 35% respectively). White children killed were the most 

likely to have used child safety seats at 58 percent. However, almost a third of White children 

were totally unrestrained. More than half of the unrestrained children would have survived had 

they been in child safety seats.4 Figure 9 illustrates the variations in restraint use by racial and 

ethnic categories for infants and small children. 

Figure 9: Child Fatalities (Age 4 and Younger) in Passenger 

Vehicles by Restraint and Race or Ethnicity

0%

20%

40%

60%

80%

100%

White Black Native

American

Asian/PI Hispanic

Percent

Safety Seats Safety Belts No Restraint

Source: FARS 1999-2004 

 

3

 Passenger vehicles are defined as passenger cars, light trucks, and vans. 

4

 Author’s lives-saved calculations. 

NHTSA’s National Center for Statistics and Analysis 400 Seventh Street SW., Washington, DC 20590 

14
7.2 Other Vehicle Occupants

Other occupants are drivers and passengers older than 4 years. More than half of all persons 

killed, in all racial and ethnic groups, age 5 and older, were unrestrained. The percentages for 

persons unbelted by race and ethnicity range from a low of 52 percent for Asians and Pacific 

Islanders to highs of 70 percent and 78 percent for African Americans and Native Americans, 

respectively. About two-thirds of White and Hispanic fatally injured individuals were also 

unbelted. Figure 10 shows differences in safety belt use by race and ethnicity. 

Figure 10: Fatalities (Age 5 and Older) in Passenger Vehicles 

by Restraint and Race or Ethnicity

0%

20%

40%

60%

80%

100%

White Black Native American Asian/PI Hispanic

Percent

Safety Belts No Restraint

Source: FARS 1999-2004 

NHTSA’s National Center for Statistics and Analysis 400 Seventh Street SW., Washington, DC 20590 

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7.3 National Occupant Protection Use Survey

The results of the 2004 National Occupant Protection Use Survey indicated that no significant 

difference among these three racial groups. Belt use in 2004 by both Black and White motorists 

was estimated at 80 percent, and 79 percent for the “Other” category. 

These numbers represent an increase from 2002 of 4 percentage points for the White group, 3 

percentage points for the Black group, and 1 percentage point for members of other races. Even 

larger percentage increases in safety belt use occurred between 2000 and 2002 for African 

Americans, 8 percentage points, and for members of other races, 9 percentage points. A much 

smaller increase (2 percentage points) was estimated for Whites between 2000 and 2002. The 

higher percentages for safety belt use in this sample of persons who were not killed, compared 

with the fatally injured population illustrate the advantages of buckling up. 

8. MOTORCYCLE HELMET USE 

Forty-seven percent of fatally injured Native American and Hispanic motorcycle riders wore 

motorcycle helmets. Asian and Pacific Islander fatally injured motorcycle riders had the highest 

rate of helmet use at 67 percent. For fatally injured African Americans riders, the percentage 

wearing helmets was 58 percent and for White fatalities, the percentage wearing helmets was 51 

percent. Helmet use laws vary considerably in the United States and change from year to year. 

These changes have not been tracked in this report. However, in the 19 States that still had 

universal motorcycle helmet laws as of April 2004 (States that had not repealed helmet laws), 

helmet use for fatally injured motorcycle riders was at least 80 percent for all racial or ethnic 

groups. Within these States there was little difference among groups. 

NHTSA’s National Center for Statistics and Analysis 400 Seventh Street SW., Washington, DC 20590 

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Figure 11 shows the percentages with and without motorcycle helmets. 

Figure 11: Helmet Use for Motorcycle Riders Killed 

by Race or Ethnicity

0%

20%

40%

60%

80%

100%

White Black Native American Asian/PI Hispanic

Percent

Helmet No Helmet

Source: FARS 1999-2004

NHTSA’s National Center for Statistics and Analysis 400 Seventh Street SW., Washington, DC 20590 

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9. PEDESTRIANS AND OTHER NON-OCCUPANTS 

9.1 Fatalities 

In the FARS system, non-occupants are mainly pedestrians, and secondarily cyclists. Included 

also are occupants of parked cars, non-motorized transport devices (e.g., horse-drawn vehicles), 

and road maintenance equipment, as well as skateboard riders, people in wheelchairs, on skates, 

sleds, etc. Figure 12 shows the non-occupant percentages of all motor vehicle traffic fatalities by 

age group. 

Figure 12: Non-Occupant Fatalities as Percent of All Motor 

Vehicle Traffic Fatalities

0%

5%

10%

15%

20%

25%

30%

35%

40%

45%

50%

1-3 4-7 8-15 16-20 21-24 25-34 35-44 45-64 over 64

Percent

White

Black

Native American

Asian/PI

Hispanic

Source: FARS 1999-2004

In every age group from 16–20 and older, the percentage of non-Hispanic White motor vehicle 

traffic fatalities, including non-occupants, was lower than the percentages for minority nonoccupants. And in the earlier years of life, only the percentage of Native American non-occupant 

fatalities was lower than that for Whites, but not by much. 

NHTSA’s National Center for Statistics and Analysis 400 Seventh Street SW., Washington, DC 20590 

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Non-occupant, fatally injured Black children in the 4–7 age group accounted for nearly 47 

percent of traffic fatalities and close to 37 percent in the 8–15 age group. In both urban and rural 

settings Black children were killed in disproportionate numbers in these two age groups. Other 

salient statistics are the percentages for Asian and Pacific Islander children in the 1–3 age group 

(about 41 percent, although the number of non-occupant fatalities may be too small to be 

meaningful), and especially Asian and Pacific Island elderly persons at 50 percent. In all age 

groups, fatally injured Asian and Pacific Islander non-occupants were more likely than their 

counterparts to be in crosswalks. Fatalities among African Americans occurred most often in the 

roadway, as did fatalities in White and Hispanic racial and ethnic groups. The data did not seem 

to indicate any significant difference among the racial and ethnic groups for the time of day of 

the crash. 

9.2 Alcohol 

Almost 70 percent of fatally injured Native American non-occupants (age 16 and older) had been 

drinking at the time of the crash. Percentages were just below half for Black and Hispanic nonoccupants (47% and 49%, respectively). For Asians and Pacific Islanders, the percentage with 

alcohol was only 17 percent but close to 40 percent for non-Hispanic Whites. 

Figure 13: Blood Alcohol Levels of Non-Occupants Killed

0%

20%

40%

60%

80%

100%

White Black Native American Asian/PI Hispanic

Percent

No Alcohol < .08 BAC >= .08 BAC

Source: FARS 1999-2004 

NHTSA’s National Center for Statistics and Analysis 400 Seventh Street SW., Washington, DC 20590 

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When contrasted with data for drinking drivers, Table 3 shows that the percentages for drinking 

non-occupants (except for Asians and Pacific Islanders) were even higher than for drivers. 

Table 3: Percentages of Fatally Injured Persons Who Were Drinking (16 and over) 

Percent for Drivers Percent for Non-Occupants 

Non-Hispanic White 35.2% 39.0% 

Non-Hispanic Black 38.4% 47.0% 

Native American 57.5% 69.4% 

Asian and Pacific Islander 24.8% 17.1% 

Hispanic or Latino 47.5% 49.0% 

Source: FARS 1999-2004 

The statistics obtained from this study using five years of FARS/NCHS data, 1999–2004, 

substantially agree with an earlier study based on five years of FARS data, Ethnicity and 

Alcohol-Related Fatalities, FARS Combined with NCHS Files for 1990–1994. 

10. CONCLUSIONS 

From the descriptive statistics in this report, the concerns of the motor vehicle traffic safety 

community, that minority populations apparently are overrepresented in the number of traffic 

fatalities, may be well founded. Race and ethnicity data from FARS indicated that for people 

killed in motor vehicle traffic crashes, those who can be classified as in minority populations, 

(except Asians and Pacific Islanders) were more often driving while intoxicated, less often 

validly licensed, and less likely to be wearing safety belts than the general population. 

All minorities, however, including Asians and Pacific Islanders, were less likely to secure their 

infants and toddlers in child safety seats than non-Hispanic Whites. 

That Native Americans are more likely to drink and drive has been well documented in the past. 

Moreover, Native Americans not driving are more likely to drink and be killed in the roadway by 

motor vehicles. Note that fatally injured Native American women were driving while intoxicated 

twice as often as women in the other racial and ethnic groups and nearly as often as Native 

American men. Native American passenger vehicle occupants were also the least likely to wear 

safety belts. 

Second only to Native Americans, fatally injured Hispanic or Latino drivers had the highest rates 

of driver and non-occupant alcohol levels. However, in contrast to Native Americans, only about 

a third of alcohol-impaired drivers were female. This factor is significant because fatally injured 

female Hispanic drivers comprised less than 20 percent of all Hispanic drivers killed. Together 

with Native Americans, fatally injured Hispanic drivers had the highest rates of invalid licensure. 

NHTSA’s National Center for Statistics and Analysis 400 Seventh Street SW., Washington, DC 20590 

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Alcohol use for fatally injured African American drivers was roughly comparable to that of the 

non-Hispanic white majority for both males and females. The difference is about 3 percentage 

points higher for black drivers but 8 percentage points higher for black non-occupants. Black 

drivers killed had the highest percentage with one or more prior speeding convictions. The 

percentage of valid licenses was somewhat lower than for the general population. 

Not using safety belts and child safety seats was also a problem in the black community, but the 

most salient observation for African Americans is the disproportionately large number of 

children killed who were not vehicle occupants. The reasons for these high numbers must be 

investigated and appropriate remedies recommended. 

The fatally injured Asians and Pacific Island group exhibited a substantially lower rate for driver 

alcohol and an even lower rate for non-occupant alcohol. This racial or ethnic group was the 

least likely to have had DWI charges or license suspensions and was the most likely to wear 

safety belts or motorcycle helmets. It appears, however, that, in too many cases, young children 

(younger than age 5) were only belted when they should have been in child safety seats. 

For all racial or ethnic groups, including the non-Hispanic White group, albeit in varying 

degrees, the incidences of alcohol use, lack of proper restraints and licensing, and other risky 

behaviors are obstacles to overcome to reduce the death rates on our highways. 

This report suggests that more detailed research on the relationships among socioeconomic 

status, race and ethnicity, and the risk of death or injury in a motor vehicle traffic crash is 

warranted. 

NHTSA’s National Center for Statistics and Analysis 400 Seventh Street SW., Washington, DC 20590 

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REFERENCES 

1. NHTSA Technical Report. Rajesh Subramanian, “Motor Vehicle Traffic Crashes as a 

Leading Cause of Death in the U.S., 2002 – A Demographic Perspective,” April 2005. 

2. NHTSA Technical Report. “Multiple Imputation of Missing Blood Alcohol 

Concentration (BAC) Values in FARS,” U.S. Department of Transportation, Washington, 

DC, October 1998. 

3. NHTSA Research Note. “Safety Belt Use in 2002 – Demographic Characteristics,” U.S. 

Department of Transportation, Washington, DC, March 2003. 

4. NHTSA Research Note. “Safety Belt Use in 2004 – Demographic Results,” U.S. 

Department of Transportation, Washington, DC, February 2005. 

5. NHTSA Traffic Tech Publications. “Ethnicity and Alcohol Related Fatalities, FARS 

Combined with NCHS Files for 1990–1994,” U.S. Department of Transportation, 

Washington, DC, February 2001. 

6. NHTSA Traffic Safety Facts – Laws. “Motorcycle Helmet Use Laws,” U.S. Department 

of Transportation, Washington, DC, April 2004. 

NHTSA’s National Center for Statistics and Analysis 400 Seventh Street SW., Washington, DC 20590 

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DOT HS 809 956 

May 2006