TABLE J-4 Transportation Accidents by Mode: 1994-2004

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KEY: U= data are not available.

NOTES: U.S. air carriers includes all carriers who operate under 14 CFR 121, all scheduled and nonscheduled service. Since Mar. 20, 1997, 14 CFR 121 includes only aircraft with 10 or more seats formerly operated under 14 CFR 135. This change makes it difficult to compare pre-1997 data for 14 CFR 121 and 14 CFR 135 with more recent years' data. Commuter carriers include all scheduled service operating under 14 CFR 135. Since Mar. 20, 1997, 14 CFR 121 includes only aircraft with 10 or more seats formerly operated under 14 CFR 135. This change makes it difficult to compare pre-1997 data for 14 CFR 121 and 14 CFR 135 with more recent years' data. On-demand air taxi includes all nonscheduled service operating under 14 CFR 135. General aviation includes all operations other than those operating under 14 CFR 121 and 14 CFR 135.

For Highway totals the U.S. Department of Transportation, National Highway Traffic Safety Administration uses the term "crash" instead of accident in its highway safety data. Highway crashes often involve more than one motor vehicle, hence "total highway crashes" is smaller than the sum of the components. Estimates of highway crashes are rounded to the nearest thousand in the source document.

The motor vehicle crash data in this table come from the U.S. Department of Transportation, National Highway Traffic Safety Administrations' General Estimates System (GES). GES data are obtained from a nationally representative probability sample selected from all police-reported crashes. The GES sample includes only crashes where a police accident report was completed and the crash resulted in property damage, injury, or death. The resulting figures do not take into account crashes that were not reported to the police or did not result in property damage.

Large trucks are defined as trucks over 10,000 pounds gross vehicle weight rating, including single-unit trucks and truck tractors. Light trucks are defined as trucks of 10,000 pounds gross vehicle weight rating or less, including pickups, vans, truck-based station wagons, and utility vehicles.

Railroad total includes Amtrak. Accidents and incidents resulting from freight and passenger rail operations including commuter rail. Highway-rail grade crossing total includes accidents and incidents occurring at highway-rail crossings resulting from freight and passenger rail operations including commuter rail. Railroad includes only train accidents.

The Federal Railroad Administration defines a grade crossing as a location where a public highway, road, street, or private roadway, including associated sidewalks and pathways, crosses one or more railroad tracks at grade. The Federal Transit Administration defines two types of grade crossings: (1) At grade, mixed, and cross traffic crossings, meaning railway right-of-way over which other traffic moving in the same direction or other cross directions may pass. This includes city street right-of-way; (2) At grade with cross traffic crossings, meaning railway right-of-way over which no other traffic may pass, except to cross at grade-level crossings. This can include median strip rights-of-way with grade level crossings at intersecting streets.

Transit accident figures include collisions with vehicles, objects, and people, derailments / vehicles going off the road. Accident figures do not include fires and personal casualties. The drop in the number of accidents in 2002 is due largely to a change in definitions by the Federal Transit Administration, particularly the definition of injuries. Only injuries requiring immediate medical treatment away from the scene now qualify as reportable. Previously, any injury was reportable. Directly Operated (DO) modes only. Highway-rail grade crossing for transit includes accidents occurring at highway-rail grade crossings resulting from operations of public transit rail modes including commuter rail. Data for light rail crossings are: 1995 (98); 1996 (97); 1997 (66); 1998 (66); 1999 (103); 2000 (106); 2001 (54); 2002 (112); 2003 (66); 2004 (107). Transit only includes accidents occurring at highway-rail grade crossings resulting from operations of public transit rail modes excluding commuter rail.

SOURCES: Various sources, as cited in U.S. Department of Transportation, Research and Innovative Technology Administration, Bureau of Transportation Statistics, National Transportation Statistics 2006, table 2-3, available at http://www.bts.gov/, as of August 2006.