CHAPTER TWO AUTO CRASH STATISTICS

CHAPTER TWO AUTO CRASH STATISTICS Age and Its Impact: Teen Drivers Teen Driving Statistics Age and Its Impact: Elderly Drivers Elderly Driving Statistics Auto Crash Statistics

AGE AND ITS IMPAC T: TEEN DRIVERS THE PROBLEM In eve ry motorized country, teen-age drivers re p resent a major haza rd. The problem is worse in the United States than elsew h e re. Te e n - agers drive less than all but the elderly, but their numbers of crashes and crash deaths are dispro p o rtionately high. Risk is highest at age 16-17. In fact, the crash rate per mile driven is almost three times as high among 16 year-olds as it is among 18- to 19-year-olds. Crash rates are high largely because of young drive r s immaturity combined with driving inexperience. The immaturity is apparent in young drive r s risky driving practices like speeding and tailgating. At the same time, teen-agers lack of experience behind the wheel makes it difficult for them to re c o g n i ze and respond to hazards. Crashes involving young drivers typically are single-vehicle crashes, primarily ru n - o f f - t h e - road crashes, that invo l ve driver error and/or speeding. They often occur when other young people are in the vehicle with the young drive r, so teen-agers are dispro p o rt i o n a t e l y i n vo l ved in crashes as passengers as well as drivers. The population of 16- to 19-year-olds decreased during the 1980s which, in turn, held down the problem of teenage drivers. Howe ve r, this trend ended in 1992. Now the population of 16- to 19-ye a r - olds is increasing, and so are motor vehicle crash deaths. TEENAGE FATALITIES 130 teenagers (age 15-19) died on Indiana roadways in 2000. T h e re we re 11, 981 teenagers injured in 2000 as well. as a point of comparison, there we re only 199 fatalities and 8,729 injuries for drivers over age 55 in 2000. Na t i o n a l l y, 5, 865 teenagers died in 2000. Teenagers accounted for 10 percent of the U.S. population in 2001 and 13 percent of motor vehicle deaths. In In d i a n a, teenagers re p resented nearly 15 percent of total fatalities on Indiana ro a d w a y s. Eighty-six percent of teen motor vehicle deaths in 2001 we re passenger vehicle occupants. the rest we re pedestrians (6 percent), motorc yclists (3 percent), bicyclists (2 percent), and people in other kinds of vehicles (3 perc e n t ). T h i rty-nine percent of deaths of 16-19 year-olds in 1999 fro m all causes occurred in crashes. This is the latest year for which this information is ava i l a b l e. DRIVERS AND PASSENGERS NATIONAL STATISTICS Passenger vehicle death rates per 100,000 people in 2001 peaked at age 19 for drivers and at age 18 for passengers. Slightly more than half of teenage passenger vehicle occupant deaths in 2001 we re drivers (54 percent), and a little less than half we re passengers (44 perc e n t ). Sixty-two percent of teenage passenger deaths in 2001 occurre d in crashes in which another teenager was driving. Among people of all ages, 20 percent of passenger deaths in 2001 occurre d when a teenager was driving. GENDER DIFFERENCES-NATIONAL STATISTICS About 2 out of eve ry 3 teenagers killed in motor vehicle crashes in 2001 we re males. Since 1975, teenage motor vehicle deaths have decreased more among males (43 percent) than among females (16 perc e n t ). Death rates we re higher in 2001 among male drivers age 16-19 than among females 21 per 100,000 people compare d with 10 per 100,000. Percentage of Data Crashes by Characteristic, 1998 Driver Age: 16 17-19 20-49 Driver Error 80 75 62 S p e e d i n g 36 31 22 3+ Occupants 33 26 19 Single Ve h i c l e 41 37 30 Drivers Killed with 0.01 + BAC 8 25 47

TEEN DRIVING STAT I S T I CS 13-19 YEAR-OLD MOTOR VEHICLE DEATHS Year Male Female Total 1976 6,826 2,530 9,356 1977 6,983 2,650 9,633 1978 7,295 2,645 9,940 1979 7,280 2,639 9,920 1980 6,932 2,591 9,524 1981 6,014 2,301 8,315 1982 5,354 1,969 7,323 1983 4,850 1,955 6,805 1984 4,947 2,005 6,952 1985 4,715 2,022 6,737 1986 5,280 2,182 7,466 1987 5,107 2,186 7,293 1988 5,036 2,204 7,242 1989 4,528 2,158 6,688 1990 4,420 1,944 6,364 1991 3,891 1,867 5,760 1992 3,495 1,713 5,215 1993 3,678 1,742 5,421 1994 3,770 1,859 5,632 1995 3,702 1,970 5,675 1996 3,855 1,963 5,819 1997 3,715 2,014 5,730 1998 3,649 1,960 5,610 1999 3,740 2,009 5,749 2000 3,759 1.925 5,685 2001 3,729 1,853 5,582 2002 3,923 2,010 5,933 NOTE: Total includes gender unknowns. Insurance Institute For Highway Safety TEENAGE MOTOR VEHICLE DEATHS BY TYPE, 2001 Age Passenger Vehicles Motorcyclists Pedestrians Bicyclists Other/Unknown 13 107 3 38 19 18 14 183 7 44 19 19 15 298 10 40 19 24 16 821 7 43 13 21 17 986 30 61 14 13 18 1,212 57 63 10 30 19 1,190 64 59 13 27 Total 4,797 178 348 107 152

TEEN DRIVING STAT I S T I CS PASSENGER VEHICLE DEATHS BY AGE AND SEATING POSITION, 2001 Age Drivers Passengers 13 4 103 14 19 164 15 52 246 16 436 385 17 554 429 18 738 464 19 790 394 Total 2,593 2,185 According to the Insurance Institute of Highway Safety, 43 percent of teenage fatal crashes occur between the hours of 9 p.m. and 6 a.m. Teen-age motor vehicle crash fatalities in Indiana are well above the national average - 18.4 percent in Indiana vs. 11.8 percent for the U.S. average. 55 children (under the age of 16) were killed in 1999, a reduction of 13 from 1998, and 24 from 1997. Vehicular Contributing Circumstance Rates per Drivers in Crashes by Driver Age: Single Vehicle Crashes, 1999 S o u rce: Indiana Crash Fa c t s About one in four of all licensed Indiana teen-agers were involved in a crash in 1996. Indiana teen-age drivers make up only 6.1 percent of Indiana s licensed drivers but account for 14.3 percent of total drivers in crashes. 188 Indiana teen-age drivers died in automobile crashes in 1996. Automobile crashes are the number one killer of teen-agers. 3 our of 4 fatalities occurred on rural roads, remaining consistent with recent years r e s u l t s. 2 out of 3 fatalities were males. 1 out of 3 fatalities was male between the ages of 25-54.

TEEN DRIVING STAT I S T I CS S o u rce: Indiana Crash Fa c t s G R A D UATED LICENSING This is the law: In d i a n a s graduated drive r s licensing law (Senate En ro l l e d Act 16) took effect Ja n u a ry 1, 1999. The law is designed to p rovide young drivers with a slow, steady introduction to driving habits. The law states these provisions: Dr i vers under 18 may not operate a motor vehicle during existing Indiana curf ew hours (11 p.m. - 5 a.m. Su n d a y t h rough Thursday nights; 1 a.m. - 5 a.m. Friday and Sa t u rday nights). They may drive during these hours if they are driving to and from a legal job, school-sponsore d e vent, church activity or when driving with a parent or g u a rdian. During the first 90 days after getting their license, drive r s under 18 can t transport other people in the car unless someone at least 21 years old, who holds a valid drive r s license, is riding in the passenger seat. Young drivers may d r i ve unaccompanied as long as they do not carry passengers during the first 90 days. All passengers must wear a seat belt if riding with a drive r under age 18. So u rc e s : Indiana State Po l i c e Insurance Institute for Highway Sa f e t y National Association of Independent In s u re r s

AGE AND ITS IMPAC T: ELDERLY DRIVERS T h e re s cause for concern when elderly people drive because they have higher rates of fatal crashes than all but the youngest drivers, especially per mile driven. A problem is that elderly drivers don t deal as well as younger ones with complex traffic situations, and multiple-vehicle crashes at intersections increase markedly with age. Elderly drivers are m o re likely to get traffic citations for failing to yield, turning improperly and running stop signs and red lights. Elderly people are more susceptible than younger people to medical complications following motor vehicle crash injuries. This means they re more likely to die from their i n j u r i e s. CRASH TYPES About half of fatal crashes involving drivers 80 ye a r s and older occur at intersections and invo l ve more than one vehicle. This compares with 23 percent among d r i vers up to age 50. People 80 years and older have the highest pedestrian death rates per 100,000 people. At age 80 and older, the pedestrian death rate per 100,000 among men is more than three times as high as for younger pedestrians. ELDERLY FATALITIES IN MOTOR VEHICLES 6,622 people 65 years and older died in motor ve h i c l e crashes in 2002. This is 10 percent fewer than in 1997, but a 24 percent increase since 1975. Se venty-nine percent of deaths in 2002 motor ve h i c l e crashes involving older people we re passenger ve h i c l e occupants, and 16 percent we re pedestrians. People 65 years and older re p resented 13 percent of the population in 1999 and 17 percent of motor ve h i c l e deaths. By 2030, elderly people are expected to re p resent 20 percent of the population. People age 75 and older have more motor ve h i c l e deaths per 100,000 people than other groups exc e p t people younger than 25. Per mile driven, drivers 75 years and older have higher rates of fatal motor vehicle crashes than drivers in other age groups except teenagers. Per licensed drive r, fatal crash rates rise sharply at age 70 and older. Since 1975, deaths of elderly passenger vehicle occupants has increased by nearly sixty percent while pedestrian deaths have declined by forty percent. Although far fewer older adults are killed while riding motorc y- cles, this number is increasing. Mo re than ten times as many people 65 years and older we re killed on motorc ycles in 2001 than in 1975. GENDER DIFFERENCES The motor vehicle death rate per 100,000 people begins to rise among males at age 70. By age 80 and o l d e r, the rate among men is more than twice as high as it is at age 40-74. At all ages, males have much higher motor ve h i c l e death rates per 100,000 people compared with females. By age 85 and older, the rate is three times as high among men as among women. In s u rance Institute for Highway Sa f e t y

E L D E R LY DRIVING STAT I S T I CS M O TOR VEHICLE DEATHS PER 100,000 PEOPLE, 2002 AGE MALE FEMALE ALL 16-19 38 19 29 20-24 29 9 19 25-29 17 5 12 30-34 14 5 9 35-39 12 5 9 40-44 12 5 9 45-49 11 5 8 50-54 11 5 8 55-59 10 4 7 60-64 11 6 9 65-69 12 6 9 70-74 15 7 11 75-79 20 9 14 80-84 23 12 17 85+ 35 14 24 Insurance Institute for Highway Safety M O TOR VEHICLE DEATHS, PEOPLE 65 YEARS AND OLDER Year Passenger vehicles Pedestrians Motorcyclists Other Total 1976 3,555 1,663 13 163 5,394 1977 3,431 1,779 21 143 5,374 1978 3,652 1,608 18 148 5,426 1979 3,480 1,685 27 153 5,345 1980 3,425 1,728 27 161 5,341 1981 3,513 1,628 29 142 5,312 1982 3,388 1,449 24 144 5,005 1983 3,526 1,388 29 134 5,077 1984 3,854 1,463 40 148 5,505 1985 3,961 1,454 22 135 5,572 1986 4,271 1,430 29 173 5,903 1987 4,451 1,483 26 168 6,128 1988 4,771 1,596 33 152 6,552 1989 4,911 1,467 19 167 6,564 1990 4,715 1,503 44 165 6,427 1991 4,897 1,292 21 154 6,364 1992 4,939 1,272 22 143 6,376 1993 5,179 1,259 25 182 6,645 1994 5,483 1,264 33 166 6,946 1995 5,537 1,263 27 172 6,999 1996 5,691 1,210 37 175 7,113 1997 5,953 1,174 43 238 7,408 1998 5,882 1,176 37 193 7,288 1999 5,755 1,098 48 240 7,141 2000 5,433 996 73 199 6,701 2001 5,393 1,049 72 205 6,719 2002 5,236 1,051 79 256 6,622 Insurance Institute for Highway Safety

AUTOMOBILE CRASH STAT I S T I CS M O TOR VEHICLE DEATHS, 2002 S TAT E ALL MOTOR VEHICLE DEAT H S PASSENGER VEHICLE OCCUPANT DEAT H S Precent Percent Nighttime Fatal crashes Number of deaths Number of deaths S i n g le - v e h i c l e S i n g l e - v e h i c l e A l a b a m a 926 1, 033 886 54 24 A l a s k a 76 87 54 33 20 A r i z o n a 972 1, 11 7 778 47 20 A r k a n s a s 556 640 527 54 25 C a l i f o r n i a 3, 643 4, 078 2, 828 48 24 C o l o r a d o 676 742 575 61 28 C o n n e c t i c u t 298 322 217 53 27 D e l a w a r e 11 4 124 93 48 24 District of Columbia 43 47 31 35 29 F l o r i d a 2, 807 3, 132 2, 132 39 20 G e o rg i a 1, 361 1, 523 1, 197 46 22 H a w a i i 11 5 11 9 55 45 27 I d a h o 230 264 219 46 18 I l l i n o i s 1, 264 1, 411 1, 062 49 27 I n d i a n a 714 792 622 40 20 I o w a 371 404 319 46 25 K a n s a s 450 512 430 46 21 K e n t u c k y 810 915 759 47 20 L o u i s i a n a 784 875 665 49 28 M a i n e 186 216 180 56 24 M a r y l a n d 602 659 489 41 22 M a s s a c h u s e t t s 433 459 330 57 35 M i c h i g a n 1, 173 1, 277 955 38 20 M i n n e s o t a 590 657 533 48 26 M i s s i s s i p p i 769 885 779 54 21 M i s s o u r i 1, 082 1, 208 989 50 25 M o n t a n a 232 270 222 66 33 N e b r a s k a 272 307 256 54 28 N e v a d a 330 381 278 48 17 New Hampshire 11 7 127 104 51 24 New Jersey 701 773 402 45 24 New Mexico 398 449 321 59 25 New Yo r k 1, 404 1, 522 955 46 26 North Carolina 1, 426 1, 575 1, 211 50 24 North Dakota 84 97 87 45 24 O h i o 1, 285 1, 418 1, 139 46 24 O k l a h o m a 634 734 598 43 20 O r e g o n 388 436 340 51 21 P e n n s y l v a n i a 1, 462 1, 614 1, 254 50 26 Rhode Island 81 84 64 52 33 South Carolina 949 1, 053 833 55 29 South Dakota 159 180 145 69 35 Te n n e s s e e 1, 056 1, 175 980 53 25 Te x a s 3, 255 3, 725 2, 909 45 24 U t a h 274 328 257 53 18 Ve r m o n t 69 78 66 42 20 Vi rg i n i a 830 914 720 56 30 Wa s h i n g t o n 586 659 503 51 29 West Vi rg i n i a 400 439 355 55 30 Wi s c o n s i n 721 803 635 50 29 Wy o m i n g 151 176 142 67 19 U.S. To t a l 38, 309 42, 815 32, 480 48 24 Insurance Institute for Highway Safety

AUTOMOBILE CRASH STAT I S T I CS S o u rce: Indiana Crash Fa c t s TIPS TO AVOID AN AC C I D E N T Scan roadsides for deer and slow down if one is spotted. Seeing one deer means others probably are nearby because they often travel in groups, so slow down. Deer are creatures of habit; seeing one cross the roadway means you likely will see many more cross there. Do not swerve to avoid a deer, since losing control is more likely to cause a serious accident than striking a deer. S o u rce: Indiana Crash Fa c t s Crashes between Indiana motorists and deer cost the Indiana insurance industry approximately $53 million each year. The average deer accident costs a driver about $1,555. Farm Bureau Insurance S o u rce: Indiana Crash Fa c t s

AUTOMOBILE CRASH STAT I S T I CS SPEED AND STOPPING DISTANCES Speed Stopping Distance(Dry) Stopping Distance (Wet) Motorcycle 35mph 225 feet 260 feet 45mph 315 feet 385 feet 55mph 435 feet 530 feet 65mph 575 feet 705 feet Passenger Car 35mph 160 feet 185 feet 45mph 225 feet 275 feet 55mph 310 feet 380 feet 65mph 410 feet 505 feet Semi Truck 35mph 190 feet 230 feet 45mph 280 feet 350 feet 55mph 390 feet 490 feet 65mph 252 feet 665 feet U.S. Department of Transportation Drivers in Crashes by Age, Gender and Severity, 2000 S o u rce: Indiana Crash Fa c t s

AUTOMOBILE CRASH STAT I S T I CS CRASH SEV E R I TY BY COUNTY 2000

AUTOMOBILE CRASH STAT I S T I CS CRASH SEV E R I TY BY COUNTY 2000 c o n t i n u e d