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Table 2
Fatalities by Transportation Mode

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Mode 1970 1980 1990 2000 2002
Large air carriera 146 1 39 92 P0
Commuter air carriera N 37 R6 5 P0
On-demand air taxia N 105 51 71 P35
General aviationa 1,310 1,239 767 R595 P576
Highwayb 52,627 51,091 44,599 41,945 42,815
Railroadc 785 584 599 512 596
Transitd N N 339 295 U
Commercial ship          
Vessel 178 206 85 R49 P28
Nonvessele 420 281 101 R88 P48
Recreational boating 1,418 1,360 865 701 750
Gas and hazardous liquid pipeline 30 19 9 38 10

a Includes people on planes and on the ground.

b Includes occupants, nonoccupants, and motor vehicle fatalities at railroad crossings.

c Includes fatalities from nontrain incidents as well as train incidents and accidents. Also includes train occupants and nonoccupants except motor vehicle occupants at grade crossings.

d Fatalities resulting from all reportable incidents, not just accidents. Includes commuter rail, heavy rail, light rail, motorbus, demand responsive, van pool, and automated guideway.

e Fatalities unrelated to vessel accidents, e.g., individual falling overboard and drowning.

Key: N = data do not exist or are not cited because of reporting changes; P = preliminary; R = revised; U = unavailable.

Source: Various sources, as cited in USDOT, Bureau of Transportation Statistics, National Transportation Statistics (NTS) 2002, table 2-1 revised,   available at www.bts.gov.Recreational boating (2002)—U.S. Coast Guard, Recreational Boating Accidents in the United States: Calendar Year 2002 Executive Summary, available at http://www.uscgboating.org/statistics/boating_statistics_2002.pdf, as of December 2003.