Caution must be exercised in comparing fatalities (and injuries) across
modes because different definitions for reportable events are used among
the modes. In particular, rail and transit facilities and injuries include
deaths and injuries that are not, strictly speaking, caused by transportation
accidents, but are caused by such events as a fall on a transit station
escalator; or for railroad employees, a fire in a workshed. Similar fatalities
for the air and highway modes (death at airports not caused by moving
aircraft, or fatalities from accidents in automobile repair shops) are
not counted towards the totals for these modes.
Total fatalities (injuries)
in the tables are less than the sum of the modal totals because some deaths
(injuries) are reported and counted in more than one mode. To avoid double
counting, adjustments have been made to fatality totals (see table 2-4).
