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Home > Facts & Statistics

Targeting Highway Fatalities

During calendar year 2007, 41,059 deaths occurred on highways in the United States. Reducing this toll is the top priority of the United States Department of Transportation (USDOT), and the FHWA is advancing a set of strategic objectives and strategies in partnership with other USDOT agencies. Nationally, the FHWA is focused on reducing the number and severity of crashes relating to situations that result in the largest number of deaths: roadway departure crashes, intersection crashes, pedestrian and speeding-related deaths.

Similar to this approach at the national level, States and localities are encouraged to strategically direct their resources to areas of highest priority in terms of lives lost. The maps included below provide a snapshot of these priority areas for the most current year available, 2007 (sources are the NHTSA Fatality Analysis Reporting System, and travel data from FHWA Office of Highway Policy Information)

• Number of Highway Fatalities - 2007
• Fatality Rates – 2007

What's New

Rural/Urban Comparison Traffic Safety Fact Sheet (DOT-HS-810-996) (PDF - 792 KB)