2007 Washington Traffic Fatality Statistics
Fatalities due to traffic accidents have declined steadily in the state of Washington over the last few years, from 633 in 2006 to 571 in 2007, with a preliminary total of 508 for 2008. The traffic fatality rate per miles driven has also seen a multi-year decline, dropping below 1 death per 100 million miles traveled for the first time in 2007. For comparison, the national fatality rate was 1.37 deaths per 100 million miles in the same year. While the drop in 2008 traffic deaths may have been due in part to the sharp drop in miles driven due to high gas prices, experts also credit improved technology, better laws, and record high safety belt usage.
A few factors contributed to large percentages of traffic deaths. Of the 571 fatalities in 2007, 242 (42.4%) involved an impaired driver, while 223 (39.1%) were speed-related. Additionally, 37.3% of fatally injured victims were not using a seat belt at the time of the accident. This is especially significant given that the 2007 Washington State seat belt observation survey found a record-high seat belt use rate of over 96%.
As seen in previous years, young people represented a disproportionate number of fatalities in 2007, with 147 traffic deaths in the 21-30 age group and an additional 89 deaths of those aged 15-20. When age demographics are factored in, 15-20 year olds have the highest fatality rate of 19.9 per 100,000 individuals. The 21-30 age group averages 16.8 traffic deaths per 100,000 annually. Older victims, those aged 80 and over, represent the other peak in fatality rates, due in large part to their liability for injury if involved in an accident.
Males tend to represent the majority of traffic fatalities, a trend which continued in 2007 with 417 male and 148 female fatalities. Most 2007 victims (352) were occupants of a motor vehicle involved in the collision. There were also 83 motorcyclist deaths and 60 fatally injured pedestrians.
The majority of traffic fatalities occur on rural roads. In 2007, there were 335 rural fatalities compared to 210 in urban areas. This becomes even more significant considering that rural roads only make up approximately 30% of vehicle miles traveled. These two facts together indicate a much higher fatality rate on rural roads. The average rural road fatality rate from 1999-2006 was 2.27 per 100 million miles traveled, compared to the urban rate of 0.65.
There were 313 fatalities which occurred between 6 p.m. and 6 a.m., representing over half of all fatalities. This is striking given the research indicating that only 10-15% of traffic volume occurs at night. These numbers indicate a nighttime fatality rate that’s consistently 3-4 times higher than the daytime rate.
Source:
Traffic Research and Data Center
Washington Traffic Safety Commission
http://www.wtsc.wa.gov/research/collisiondata.php
