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Table 5-2: Injured Persons by Freight Transportation Mode

About 120,000 people are injured each year in freight transportation. Like fatalities, most injuries involve trucks. Yet, these injuries account for less than 5 percent of the total number of people injured on the highway each year. Approximately, 10 percent of injures are the result of non-highway related incidents, mostly railroading. Since 1980, railroading has become much safer with a drop in injuries of about 80 percent.

Table in Excel format

empty Cell 1980 1990 2000 20035
Total injured persons (passenger and freight) NA NA 3,240,424 NA
Highway (passenger and freight) NA 3,231,000 3,189,000 2,889,000
Large truck occupants1 N 42,000 31,000 27,000
Others injured in crashes involving large trucks N 108,000 109,000 95,000
Large truck occupants1 (percent) N 1.3 1.0 0.9
Others injured in crashes involving large trucks (percent) N 3.3 3.4 3.3
Railroad (passenger and freight) 62,246 25,143 11,643 8,872
Highway-rail grade crossing2 3,890 2,407 1,219 997
Railroad2,3 58,356 22,736 10,424 7,875
Waterborne (passenger and freight) NA NA 697 676
Vessel-related4 180 175 130 157
Freight ship NA 10 4 7
Tank ship NA 13 3 0
Tug / towboat NA 19 10 17
Offshore supply NA 9 5 0
Fishing vessel NA 31 24 41
Mobile offshore drilling units NA 13 0 0
Platform NA 9 1 0
Freight barge NA 3 2 0
Tank barge NA 3 0 0
Miscellaneous NA 12 6 9
Not related to vessel casualties4 NA NA 567 519
Pipeline 192 76 81 71
Hazardous liquid pipeline 15 7 4 5
Gas pipeline 177 69 77 66

Key: N = not available.

1Large trucks are defined as trucks over 10,000 pounds gross vehicle weight rating, including single-unit trucks and truck tractors.
2Includes Amtrak.
3Includes train accidents and other incidents. Most injuries (5,950 in 2003) involve workers on duty.
4Vessel-related injuries include those involving damage to vessels, such as collisions or groundings. Injuries not related to vessel casualties include those from falls overboard or from accidents involving onboard equipment.
5Railroad injuries are preliminary. Waterborne fataiities are for 2002.

Note: Numbers may not add to totals due to some injuries being counted in more than one mode.

Source: U.S. Department of Transportation, Bureau of Transportation Statistics, National Transportation Statistics 2004 (Washington, DC: forthcoming).

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