Statistics - Auto Safety

Statistical Facts:

• Rollover crashes kill one of every four people who die in automobile accidents (1).

• Rollovers tend to occur when a vehicle runs off a road and turns over at least on its side (1).

• Sport-utility vehicles account for 17 of the 20 vehicles with the greatest risk of rollover (1).

• Three SUVs, the Chevrolet Tracker, the Suzuki Vitara and the Toyota RAV4 are most likely to roll over in more than four of every 10 accidents (1).

• The least likely SUV to roll over is the Ford Excursion (1).

• The vehicles that are least likely to turn over are the Bentley and Rolls-Royce, possessing a 1% chance of rolling over in accidents (1).

• Minivans can be expected to roll over 10% to 17.9% of the time in an accident (1).

• The 2005 Ford Explorer Sport Trac has the greatest chance of roll over out of SUVs in a single vehicle crash at 34%. The 2005 Chevrolet Tahoe 4-DR and the 2005 GMC Yukon 4-DR have a 28% chance of rollover in a single vehicle crash (2).

• The 2005 Chrysler Pacifica 4-DR wSAB and the 2005 Ford Freestyle 5-DR have the smallest chance of rollover out of SUVs in a single vehicle crash at 13% (2).

• The 2005 Ford Ranger 2-Dr, the 2005 Ford Ranger

Extended Cab, the 2005 Mazda B-Series Extended Cab and the 2005 Mazda B-Series 2-DR have the greatest chance of rollover out of pickups in a single vehicle crash at 30% (2).

• The 2005 Chevrolet Silverado 2-DR, the 2005 Chevrolet Silverado 4-DR, the 2005 GMC Sierra 2-DR, and the 2005 GMC Sierra 4-Dr have the smallest chance of rollover out of pickups in a single vehicle crash at 15% (2).

• The 2005 Ford E-150 has the greatest chance of rollover out of vans in a single vehicle crash at 29% (2).

• The 2005 Nissan Quest Van w SAB has the smallest chance of rollover out of vans in a single vehicle crash at 12% (2).

• The 2005 Pontiac Vibe 4-DR, the 2005 Subaru Forester 4-DR wSAB, the 2005 Toyota Matrix 4-DR, and the 2005 Toyota Scion xA 4-DR Hatchback have the greatest chance of rollover out of passenger cars in a single vehicle crash at 15% (2).

• The 2005 Mazda MiataMx-5 Convertible and the 2005 Mazda RX-8 4-DR wSAB have the smallest chance of rollover out of passenger cars in a single vehicle crash at 7% (2).

• There are nearly 2 million injury-causing automobile crashes each year (3).

• The majority of injury-causing automobile crashes are either frontal or side crashes (3).

• More than 10,000 people die each year in rollover crashes (3).

• Safety belts can reduce the chance of being killed in a rollover by 75 percent (3).

• The purpose of safety belts is to keep a person inside of a vehicle and reduce the risk of hitting the steering wheel, dashboard, or windshield (3).

• The Anti-lock Brake System prevents the wheels of a vehicle from locking, enabling the driver to have greater steering control (3).

• Electronic Stability Control (ESC) helps allow drivers to control their vehicles during extreme steering maneuvers (3).

• A tire is severely underinflated if its pressure is 25 percent below the vehicle manufacturer’s recommended tire inflation pressure (3).

• Frontal air bags do not eliminate the need for safety belts and typically do not offer protection for rollovers, side-impact, or rear-end crashes (3).

• More than 5,000 people are killed each year in large truck-related crashes (4).

• More than 110,000 people are injured in large truck-related crashes each year (4).

• Fatalities among motorcycle riders have increased by more than 89% since 1997 (5). 

• Motorcyclists are about 21 times as likely as passenger car occupants to die in a traffic crash and four times as likely to be injured (5).

• Motorcycle helmets reduce the risk of death by 29% and are 67% effective in preventing brain injuries for motorcycle riders (5).

• Motor vehicle crashes are the leading cause of death for all Americans ages two to 33 (6).

• 117 people are killed daily in motor vehicle crashes (6).

• Over 500 children under the age of four, 487 children between the ages of four to seven and more than 1,600 children ages eight to fifteen were killed in motor vehicle crashes (6).

• Occupant rollover deaths accounted for 10,553 fatalities in 2006 (6).

• SUV rollover deaths increased by nearly ten percent between 2005 and 2006 (6).

• Motorcycle deaths have increased by 89% since 1997 and by 8% since 2005 (6).

• More than half of those killed in motor vehicle crashes in 2004 were not protected by a seat belt (6).

• Motor vehicle crashes cost an estimated £230 billion annually in property and productivity loss, medical and emergency bills and other related costs (6).

• Every American effectively pays a crash tax of £792 each year to cover the cost of motor vehicle crashes (6).

• Seat belts are credited with preventing 11,900 deaths and 325,00 serious injuries annually (6).

• 55% of passengers who were killed in automobile accidents were not wearing seat belts (6).

• The use of belt-positioning booster seats lowers the risk of injury to children in crashes by 59% compared to the use of vehicle seat belts (6).

• In over 5,000 child passenger deaths more than 60% of the children who were killed were riding in the car driven by an impaired driver (6).

Cited Sources:

1. Stoller, Gary (2000). Formula Predicts Rollover Risk. Retrieved on May 18, 2006 from http:www.autosafety.orgarticle.php?did=779&scid=175

2. National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. (2005). Model Year 2005 Rollover Ratings. Retrieved May 18, 2006 from http:www.nhtsa.dot.govcarstestingNCAPRollRatings2.cfm

3. National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. (2006). Buying a Safer Car. Retrieved on May 18, 2006 from http:www.nhtsa.dot.govcarstestingNCAPBASC2006index.htm

4. Public Citizen. (February 2006). Trucker Hours-of-Service Rule Creates Hazard, Allows Drivers on Road for Too Many Hours, Safety Groups and Teamsters Tell Court. Retrieved on May 18, 2006 from http:www.saferoads.orgpresspress2006HOSpressrelease022706.pdf

5. Advocates for Highway and Auto Safety. (2005). Fact Sheet: Motorcycle Helmets. Retrieved on May 18, 2006 from http:www.saferoads.orgissuesfs-helmets.htm

6. Advocates for Highway and Auto Safety. (2006). 2006 Roadmap to State Highway Safety Laws. Retrieved on May 18, 2006 from http:www.saferoads.orgRoadmap2006.pdf

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