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Table 2-4: Distribution of Transportation Fatalities by Mode

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  1999 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007
Number Percent Number Percent Number Percent Number Percent Number Percent Number Percent Number Percent Number Percent Number Percent
TOTAL of all modesa 44,084 100.0 44,384 100.0 44,941 100.0 (R) 45,297 100.0 (R) 45,101 100.0 (R) 44,985 100.0 (R) 45,565 100.0 (R) 44,974 100.0 43,032 100.0
Passenger car occupants 20,862 47.3 20,699 46.6 20,320 45.2 20,569 45.4 19,725 43.7 19,192 42.7 18,512 40.6 (R) 17,925 39.9 16,520 38.4
Light-truck occupants 11,265 25.6 11,526 26.0 11,723 26.1 12,274 27.1 12,546 27.8 12,674 28.2 13,037 28.6 (R) 12,761 28.4 12,413 28.8
Pedestrians struck by motor vehicles 4,939 11.2 4,763 10.7 4,901 10.9 4,851 10.7 4,774 10.6 4,675 10.4 4,892 10.7 (R) 4,795 10.7 4,654 10.8
Motorcyclists 2,483 5.6 2,897 6.5 3,197 7.1 3,270 7.2 3,714 8.2 4,028 9.0 4,576 10.0 (R) 4,837 10.8 5,154 12.0
Large-truck occupants 759 1.7 754 1.7 708 1.6 689 1.5 726 1.6 766 1.7 804 1.8 805 1.8 802 1.9
Pedalcyclists struck by motor vehicles 754 1.7 693 1.6 732 1.6 665 1.5 629 1.4 727 1.6 786 1.7 (R) 772 1.7 698 1.6
Recreational boating 734 1.7 701 1.6 681 1.5 750 1.7 703 1.6 676 1.5 697 1.5 710 1.6 685 1.6
Other and unknown motor vehicle occupants 447 1.0 450 1.0 458 1.0 528 1.2 589 1.3 602 1.3 659 1.4 (R) 601 1.3 629 1.5
General aviation 619 1.4 596 1.3 562 1.3 581 1.3 (R) 633 1.4 (R) 559 1.2 563 1.2 (P) 703 1.6 (P) 491 1.1
Railroad trespassersb (excluding grade crossings) 479 1.1 463 1.0 511 1.1 540 1.2 (R) 498 1.1 (R) 472 1.0 (R) 458 1.0 (R) 511 1.1 469 1.1
Other nonoccupants struck by motor vehiclesc 149 0.34 141 0.32 123 0.27 114 0.25 140 0.31 128 0.28 186 0.41 (R) 185 0.41 152 0.35
Grade crossings, not involving motor vehiclesd 57 0.13 64 0.14 76 0.17 47 0.10 53 0.12 82 0.18 (R) 75 0.16 64 0.14 73 0.17
Air taxi 38 0.09 71 0.16 60 0.13 35 0.08 42 0.09 64 0.14 18 0.04 16 0.04 (P) 43 0.10
Heavy rail transit (subway) 84 0.19 80 0.18 59 0.13 73 0.16 49 0.11 59 0.13 35 0.08 32 0.07 30 0.07
Waterborne transportation (nonvessel-related) 136 0.31 134 0.30 94 0.21 (R) 41 0.09 (R) 50 0.11 (R) 35 0.08 35 0.08 39 0.09 32 0.07
Bus occupants (school, intercity, and transit) 59 0.13 22 0.05 34 0.08 45 0.10 41 0.09 42 0.09 58 0.13 27 0.06 37 0.09
Waterborne transportation (vessel-related) 58 0.13 53 0.12 53 0.12 (R) 66 0.15 (R) 54 0.12 (R) 48 0.11 45 0.10 48 0.11 52 0.12
Private grade crossings, with motor vehicles 36 0.08 55 0.12 30 0.07 (R) 66 0.15 32 0.07 33 0.07 26 0.06 38 0.08 37 0.09
Railroad employees, contractors, and volunteers on duty (excluding grade crossings) 31 0.07 22 0.05 23 0.05 22 0.05 20 0.04 25 0.06 28 0.06 19 0.04 21 0.05
Light rail transit 17 0.04 30 0.07 21 0.05 13 0.03 17 0.04 22 0.05 19 0.04 13 0.03 20 0.05
Railroad-related, not otherwise specified (excluding grade crossings) 17 0.04 23 0.05 13 0.03 25 0.06 11 0.02 20 0.04 U U U U U U
Gas distribution pipelines 16 0.04 22 0.05 5 0.01 10 0.02 11 0.02 18 0.04 14 0.03 16 0.04 9 0.02
Transit buses, fatalities not related to accidentse 12 0.03 8 0.02 6 0.01 14 0.03 14 0.03 16 0.04 U U U U U U
Air carriers 12 0.03 92 0.21 (h) 531 1.18 0 0.00 22 0.05 14 0.03 22 0.05 50 0.11 1 0.00
Hazardous liquid pipelines 4 0.01 1 0.00 0 0.00 1 0.00 0 0.00 5 0.01 2 0.00 0 0.00 4 0.01
Passengers on railroad trains (excluding grade crossings) 3 0.01 4 0.01 3 0.01 7 0.02 2 0.00 3 0.01 16 0.04 2 0.00 4 0.01
Demand response transit, fatalities not related to accidentse 0 0.00 0 0.00 2 0.00 0 0.00 3 0.01 0 0.00 U U U U U U
Commuter air 12 0.03 5 0.01 13 0.03 0 0.00 2 0.00 0 0.00 2 0.00 2 0.00 (P) 0 0.00
Gas transmission pipelines 2 0.00 15 0.03 2 0.00 1 0.00 1 0.00 0 0.00 0 0.00 3 0.01 2 0.00
Other counts, redundant with abovef                                    
Large-truck occupants and nonoccupants 5,380 NA 5,282 NA 5,111 NA 4,939 NA 5,036 NA 5,235 NA 5,212 NA 4,995 NA U NA
Public grade crossings, with motor vehicles 309 NA 306 NA 315 NA 271 NA 249 NA 257 NA 256 NA 266 NA 263 NA
Commuter rail 95 NA 87 NA 87 NA 116 NA 77 NA 86 NA 105 NA U NA 70 NA
Transit buses, accident-related fatalities 90 NA 82 NA 89 NA 64 NA 73 NA 61 NA U NA U NA U NA
Outside planes in crashesg 5 NA 14 NA 11 NA 6 NA 6 NA 1 NA U NA U NA U NA
Demand response transit, accident-related fatalities 1 NA 8 NA 3 NA 0 NA 1 NA 0 NA U NA U NA U NA

KEY: NA = not applicable; P = preliminary; R = revised.

a Includes fatalities outside the vehicle, unless otherwise specified.

b Includes fatalities outside trains, except at grade crossings.

c Includes all nonoccupant fatalities, except pedalcyclists and pedestrians.

d Public grade-crossing fatalities involving motor vehicles are included in counts for motor vehicles.

e Fatalities not related to transit bus and demand responsive transit accidents are not included under highway submodes.

f Fatalities at grade crossings with motor vehicles are included under relevant motor vehicle modes. Commuter rail fatalities are counted under railroad. For transit bus and demand responsive transit accidents, occupant fatalities are counted under "bus" and nonoccupant fatalities are counted under "pedestrians," "pedalcyclists," or other motor vehicle categories.

g Includes nonoccupant fatalities resulting from aviation accidents.

h Other than the persons aboard the aircraft who were killed, fatalities resulting from the September 11 terrorist acts are excluded.

SOURCES

Air:

National Transportation Safety Board, Aviation Accident Statistics, available at www.ntsb.gov/aviation/Stats.htm as of Sept. 9, 2008.

Highway:

1999-2005 U.S. Department of Transportation, National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, Traffic Safety Facts 2006, (Washington, DC: Annual Issues), tables 4 and 11, available at http://www-nrd.nhtsa.dot.gov/cats/index.aspx as of Feb. 14, 2007.

2006-2007: ibid., FARS, General Trends, available at http://www-fars.nhtsa.dot.gov/ as of Oct. 27 2008.

Railroad:

U.S. Department of Transportation, Federal Railroad Administration, Office of Safety and Analysis, FRA Accident/Incident and Inspections Query, available at http://safetydata.fra.dot.gov/officeofsafety/Query/Default.asp as of Sep 9, 2008.

Transit:

U.S. Department of Transportation, Federal Transit Administration, Transit Safety and Security Statistics and Analysis (Washington, DC: Annual issues) and personal communications, Apr. 22, 2005, Apr. 24, 2006,Sept. 5, 2007, and Oct 30 2008.

Waterborne transportation:

U.S. Department of Homeland Security, U.S. Coast Guard, Data Administration Division (G-MRI-1), personal communication, Oct. 16, 2008.

Recreational boating:

Ibid., Office of Boating Safety, Boating Statistics (Washington, DC: Annual issues).

Pipeline:

U.S. Department of Transportation, Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration, Office of Pipeline Safety, Pipeline Incidents and Mileage Reports, available at http://ops.dot.gov/stats/stats.htm as of Sept. 19, 2008.
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