Public Safety

Traffic Fatalities

Traffic Fatalities

With strong programs emphasizing safety, education, and infrastructure maintenance, Virginia has consistently maintained a traffic fatality rate below the national average. In 2010, the state ranked 16th best in the nation.

Why is This Important?

Traffic fatalities are a leading cause of death, especially for young people between the ages of four and 34. The years of life lost as a result of these terrible events make their social costs particularly high, especially since many of these losses could have been prevented.

How is Virginia Doing?

Virginia's 2010 rate of 9.2 fatalities per 100,000 population was lower than the national average of 10.7 and gives Virginia the 16th lowest fatality rate in the nation. This rate was also lower than two peer states, North Carolina (13.8) and Tennessee (16.2), though higher than Maryland (8.5). Massachusetts again had the lowest fatality rate in the country at 4.8 per 100,000 people.

Within Virginia, the Northern and Hampton Roads regions had the lowest rates of traffic fatalities per 100,000 people in 2010, with rates at 5.2 and 6.8 respectively. The Southside region had the highest rate of fatalities with 20.5 per 100,000 population, just barely above the Southest region's rate of 20.1. The actual number of annual traffic fatalities in Virginia has declined from 935 in 2001 to 740 in 2010.

Alcohol clearly influences Virginia's traffic fatality rate, although -- except for a large uptick in 2008 -- alcohol-related deaths as a percent of total crash fatalities have largely remained steady. In 2000, 35.6 percent of the crash fatalities involved alcohol; in 2009, 36.6 percent did. The Southside region (44.3%) had the highest percent of fatalities that were related to alcohol in 2009, while the Southwest region had the lowest percent of alcohol-related crash fatalities -- 23.9 percent.

What Influences Traffic Fatalities?

Traffic fatalities are influenced by driver behavior, environmental factors, and vehicle safety. As noted above, driving while impaired is a major contributing factor. A growing concern is the impact of sleep deprivation on driver alertness, especially for persons driving over long periods of time. Use of cell phones, grooming while driving, or disruptive behavior by passengers can also affect driver alertness and response time. Age is another possible factor. Young drivers may lack the skills and experience to anticipate or adjust to traffic problems appropriately. Senior drivers are less able to react quickly to sudden traffic situations, particularly at intersections.

Environmental conditions also contribute to traffic fatalities. Weather like heavy rain, sleet, and snow increase the hazards of driving, as do roads in disrepair. Maintaining safe driving speeds is also critical.

Finally, vehicle safety can play a large role. Seat belts, car seats for small children, and passive restraint systems such as air bags have all improved auto safety. However, drivers must still ensure that passengers use seat belts and car seats and that air bags are properly installed.

What is the State's Role?

While driver behavior has a major impact on traffic safety, the state does play a critical and wide-ranging role in preventing traffic fatalities:

• Numerous state agencies and local partners work to reduce substance abuse and drunk driving.
• Law enforcement gives assistance to motorists and works to reduce speeding, drunk driving, and aggressive driving.
• Motor vehicle inspections help to ensure the safe mechanical operation of vehicles.
• Transportation workers plan and maintain Virginia's roads and alert drivers to road hazards.
• Health campaigns raise awareness of good driver and passenger behavior, and offer child safety seats to those who cannot afford them; many localities offer free inspections to ensure that child safety seats are properly installed.
• State agencies and public and private schools are involved in driver training and safe driving awareness.
• State laws set speed limits; they also target impaired and over-agressive driving, excessive speed, and vehicle safety and restraint.