Occupants were 11 times more likely to be killed if they were not wearing safety belts. Nearly 37 percent of fatal accidents involve at least one drinking operator or pedestrian. Excessive speed is involved in more than 15 percent of fatalities. Of more than 2,200 drivers involved in fatalities, almost 14 percent are aged under 21, and 24 percent are aged under 25. Nearly one-third of fatalities occur at intersections.
Most fatalities occur on secondary roads.
Figures are not available on Michigan motorists saved. Thirteen snowmobile drivers were killed on the roadway, in 499 crashes. Accidents rose to over 435,000, while deaths dropped to about 1,500. Exhibits 1 and 2 display the number of deaths in vehicle accidents and passenger-vehicle miles traveled, respectively, in 1987 through 1996. In 1996 more than 128,000 registered motorcycles and motor scooters were driven an estimated 385 million miles in Michigan and were involved in nearly 2,500 accidents, injuring 2,200 and killing 62.