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Your Baby Buckle up Your Baby Alabama Traffic Crash Facts 2002 BuckleBuckle UpUp YourYour BabyBaby Read about new child restraint issues on page 34 2002 Alabama Traffic Crash Facts Acknowledgements This report was assembled from data provided by the Alabama Department of Public Safety. Each crash record, whether completed by a local police officer or a member of the Alabama Highway Patrol, was sent to Montgomery and entered into a centralized database maintained by the Department of Public Safety. This project was supported by Subgrant No. 02-SP-AL-002 awarded by the Alabama Depart- ment of Economic and Community Affairs (ADECA/LETS) and the National High- way Traffic Safety Administration. The data summaries were provided by the Ala- bama Department of Transportation, who also provided partial funding for this effort along with the Alabama Department of Economic and Community Affairs—Traffic Safety Section. The report itself was created by personnel at the University of Alabama CARE Research & Development Laboratory. Statistical information was augmented by the Critical Analysis Reporting Environment (CARE), a national award-winning com- puter system developed in Alabama that is now being employed to process several state and federal traffic crash/incident databases. Additional summaries of infor- mation as well as reports are available on the CARE web site: http://care.cs.ua.edu This site supports the on-line generation of summary information from the Ala- bama crash database. For more information on this capability or additional crash information contact: David B. Brown CARE Research & Development Laboratory The University of Alabama Box 870290 Tuscaloosa, AL 35487-0290 [email protected] 205-348-6999 Alabama Traffic Crash Facts 2002 Prepared through the cooperation of the following agencies: Alabama Department of Transportation Alabama Department of Public Safety Alabama Department of Economic and Community Affairs Alabama Department of Education Dedicated to those people in Alabama working in traffic safety activities 1 2002 Alabama Traffic Crash Facts Table of Contents Governor’s Letter ............................................................................................................................3 Quick Facts .....................................................................................................................................4 Ten Year Traffic Trends ....................................................................................................................5 Time Trends.....................................................................................................................................6 Types of Crashes ............................................................................................................................8 Involvement by Age and Gender ..................................................................................................10 Crash Location ..............................................................................................................................12 Crash Environment .......................................................................................................................14 Type of Roadway ..........................................................................................................................15 The Driver ......................................................................................................................................16 Motorcycle Crash Statistics ..........................................................................................................17 Bicycle Crash Statistics ................................................................................................................18 Pedestrian Crash Statistics...........................................................................................................19 Alcohol and Drug Involvement ......................................................................................................20 Safety Restraint and Child Restraint Usage .................................................................................22 Comparative County Statistics .....................................................................................................24 Comparative City Statistics ..........................................................................................................26 2002 Fatalities and Crashes by County ........................................................................................31 Comparative Holiday Statistics.....................................................................................................32 CARE Research & Development Laboratory (CRDL) ....................................................................33 Do You Love Your Kids?.................................................................................................................34 Law Enforcement Tactical System (LETS) ....................................................................................36 What are GIS and GPS? ...............................................................................................................37 Definitions .....................................................................................................................................38 Index .............................................................................................................................................40 2 OFFICE OF THE GOVERNOR STATE CAPITOL MONTGOMERY, ALABAMA 36130 BOB RILEY (334) 242-7100 Governor FAX: (334) 242-0937 Citizens of Alabama: Traffic safety is a major concern to many agencies throughout the state of Alabama. It is my hope that all members of Alabama s traffic safety community, as well as all users of Alabama s roadways, will review this publication in order to gain insight into the various causes and consequences of traffic crashes. In it you will find a wealth of information about all types of traffic crashes, the conditions surrounding them, and the number of crashes, deaths and injuries for your county or city. A large number of agencies, at both the state and local levels, are at work every day to make our roads safer. Police, engineers, emergency medical services, public health profes- sionals, educators, researchers, advocate groups and many others have all contributed to the reduction in the fatality rate that we have experienced over the past decade. Our special thanks go out to the hundreds of police officers who complete the crash report forms, for without their dedication we could never get a handle on the true magnitude of traffic safety problems, nor gauge our progress in solving them. We have initiated several special programs this year to reduce the number of drunk drivers on our roads and to continue to increase seatbelt usage. The State Highway Safety Office has also focused on reducing the number of crashes involving our state s young people. We are proud of the progress that has been made in all of these areas, but we must continue to strive for increased seatbelt usage as well as improvement in all other aspects of our traffic safety programs. I thank you for taking the time to review this publication, which demonstrates your concern for reducing these tragic losses. Traffic safety must continue to be a broad-based effort involving every citizen of Alabama. By working together, we can, and we will make Alabama s roads safer. Sincerely, BOB RILEY GOVERNOR 3 2002 Alabama Traffic Crash Facts Quick Facts The 2002 Toll 2002 vs 2001 Persons Killed 1,038 up 4.0% Persons Injured 44,414 up 3.5% Reported Crashes 140,437 up 5.0% Miles Travelled 57,532,000,000 up 1.5% • There were 1,038 people killed in 931 fatal crashes. • One traffic crash was reported every 224 seconds. • One person was injured in a traffic crash each 11 minutes and 50 seconds. • One person was killed every 8 hours and 26 minutes in a traffic crash. • Most Alabama crashes (70.8%) occurred in urban areas, but most fatalities (71.2%) occurred in rural areas. • For each person killed, there were 42.7 injured. • Of all drivers involved in fatal crashes, 11.1% were age 19 or under, and 25.5% were under 25 years of age. • Of all fatal crashes, 45% occurred at night. • The 2002 pedestrian death toll was 62. • There were 45 fatalities among motorcycle or moped riders. • Bicyclists accounted for 5 fatalities. • For adults who are injured in crashes while in the front seat of a vehicle, the probablility of being killed is 9 times higher for those not wearing safety belts. Based on 2002 Data, if you are a typical driver in Alabama, there is a 54% probability that you will be involved in an injury or fatal crash while driving an auto- mobile during your lifetime! 4 2002 Alabama Traffic Crash Facts Ten Year Traffic Trends 1993-2002 FATALITIES CRASHES UP 14.8% IN 10 YEARS DOWN 0.2% IN 10 YEARS 160 12501250 160140 12001200 140 140.4 139.3 137.7 120 137.5 136.5 133.4 133.7 1190 132.6 130.3 11501150 120 100 122.3 1148 1142 100 11001100 80 1113 80 1050 1082 60 Number of Fatalities 1050 60 1071 Thousands of Crashes 40 1040 40 10001000 1038 20 998 20 986 950950 93 94 95 96 97 98 99 00 01 02 0 93 94 95 96 97 98 99 00 01 02 MILEAGE DEATH RATE INJURIES DOWN 18.2% IN 10 YEARS UP 0.5% IN 10 YEARS 2.502.5 50 48 49.3 2.23 2.23 2.21 2.00 2.21 48.1 48.2 2 2.20 48.0 46 47.3 47.1 46 2.04 1.94 1.80 1.76 44 1.501.5 1.74 44.4 44.2 42 43.5 42.9 1.00 40 1 Thousands of Injuries 40 38 0.500.5 36 93 94 95 96 97 98 99 00 01 02 Deaths Per 100
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