A statistical projection of traffic fatalities in 2011 shows that an estimated 32,310 people died in motor vehicle traffic crashes. This represents a decline of about 1.7 percent as compared to the 32,885 fatalities that occurred in 2010. If these projections are realized, fatalities will be lowest on record (since 1949). Also, in 2011, fatalities declined margin-ally in the first (down 0.1%) and fourth (down 0.7%) quarters and declined in the second (down 3.2%) and third quarters (down 2.5%), as compared to the respective quarters in 2010. Traffic fatalities have been steadily declining over the last 5 years since reaching a near-term peak in 2005, decreasing by about 26 percent from 2005 to 2011. Preliminary data reported by the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) shows that vehicle miles travelled (VMT) in 2011 decreased by about 35.7 billion miles, or about a 1.2-percent decrease. On a quarterly basis, the 2011 VMT dropped in all four quarters, decreasing by 0.1 percent during the first quarter, by 1.8 percent in the second quarter, by 2.0 percent in the third quarter, and by 0.7 percent in the fourth quarter. Also shown in Table 1 are the fatality rates per 100 million VMT, by quarter and for the whole year. The fatality rate for 2011 is projected to decline to the lowest on record, to 1.09 fatalities per 100 million VMT, down from 1.11 fatalities per 100 million VMT in 2010. (Author/publisher)
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