In this fact sheet, the 2016 State Traffic Data is presented in the following order: - Overview; - State Traffic Fatality Tables: • Table 1: Traffic Fatalities and Fatality Rates, by State, 2016; • Table 2: Traffic Fatalities and Percent Change, by State, 1975-2016; • Table 3: Traffic Fatality Rates and Percent Change, by State, 1975-2016; • Table 4: Alcohol Involvement in Fatal Traffic Crashes, by State, 2006 and 2016; • Table 5: Speeding-Related Traffic Fatalities, by Roadway Function Class and State, 2016; • Table 6: Passenger Vehicle Occupant Fatalities, by Restraint Use and State, 2016; • Table 7: Motorcyclist Fatalities, by Helmet Use and State, 2016; • Table 8: Traffic Fatalities and Vehicles Involved in Fatal Crashes, by Person Type and State, 2016. - Restraint Use and Motorcycle Helmet Use Laws. In 2016 there were 37,461 fatalities in the United States (50 States and the District of Columbia, excluding Puerto Rico), an increase of 6 percent from 2015 (35,485). Figure 1 shows the 2016 traffic fatalities and the percent change from 2015 for each State, the District of Columbia, and Puerto Rico. New Mexico, Alaska, and Hawaii had the greatest fatality increases from 2015 to 2016 at 35 percent, 29 percent, and 29 percent, respectively, while Wyoming and Montana had the greatest decreases at 23 percent and 15 percent, respectively. Key Findings: • Traffic fatalities increased by 6 percent from 2015 to 2016 (35,485 to 37,461) for the United States. • The fatality rate per 100 million vehicle miles traveled (VMT) was 1.18 for the United States in 2016, but ranged from a high of 1.86 to a low of 0.63 among States. • Thirty-nine States showed increases in traffic fatalities from 2015 to 2016, accounting for an additional 2,295 fatalities. • Since 1975, the first year that the Fatality Analysis Reporting System (FARS) began collecting data, the rate of traffic fatalities per 100 million VMT has decreased by 65 percent (3.35 to 1.18). • From 2007 to 2016 South Dakota had the largest increase in the percentage of alcohol-impaireddriving fatalities at 30 percent, while Mississippi had the greatest decrease at 47 percent. • In 2016, 75 percent of the passenger vehicle occupants killed in District of Columbia were known to be unrestrained, the highest in the country. • In 13 States 70 percent or more of motorcyclists killed were known to be unhelmeted at the time of the crashes in 2016. (Author/publisher)
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