U.S. Department of Transportation
Federal Highway Administration
1200 New Jersey Avenue, SE
Washington, DC 20590
202-366-4000
Our Nation's Highways: 2008Figure 7-5. Trend in Highway Fatality Rates, 1980-2006The fatality rate (fatalities per 100 million VMT) on the Nation’s highways continues to decline. In 2006, the fatality rate reached 1.41, which is a historical low. Although the fatality rate is declining, there were still 42,642 fatalities in 2006. The highway and transit authorization bill for 2005–2009, SAFETEA-LU (Safe, Accountable, Flexible, Efficient Transportation Equity Act: A Legacy for Users), has authorized a new core safety program known as the Highway Safety Improvement Program. FHWA has been working with all other Federal, State, and local authorities and private organizations to develop new strategies and approaches to improve highway travel safety.
Data represented in the inset chart Data Source: U.S. Department of Transportation, National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, Fatality Analysis Reporting System.
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