Freight Facts and Figures 2011
Table 5-1. Fatalities by Freight Transportation Mode: 1980-2009
While the amount of freight transportation activity has increased in recent decades, the number of fatalities has declined or remained stable in each mode, with the exception of waterborne casualties that are not vessel related. Trucks accounted for approximately 9 percent of all highway fatalities in 2009. The vast majority of fatalities involve passenger travel on highways.
Table in Excel format | Historical data
 |
1980 | 1990 | 2000 | 2009 | 2010 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Total transportation fatalities (passenger and freight) | NA | 47,350 | 44,384 | (P) 35,929 | U |
| Highway (passenger and freight) | 51,091 | 44,599 | 41,945 | 33,808 | U |
| Large truck occupants1 | 1,262 | 705 | 754 | 503 | U |
| Others killed in crashes involving large trucks | 4,709 | 4,567 | 4,528 | (R) 2,551 | U |
| Large truck occupants1 (percent) | 2.5 | 1.6 | 1.8 | 1.5 | U |
| Others killed in crashes involving large trucks (percent) | 9.2 | 10.2 | 10.8 | 7.5 | U |
| Railroad (passenger and freight) | 1,417 | 1,297 | 937 | (R) 695 | 737 |
| Highway-rail crossing2 | 833 | 698 | 425 | (R) 247 | 261 |
| Railroad2,3 | 584 | 599 | 512 | (R) 448 | 476 |
| Waterborne (passenger and freight) | 487 | 186 | 111 | 185 | 160 |
| Vessel-related4 | 206 | 85 | 42 | 54 | 28 |
| Freight ship | 8 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 |
| Tank ship | 4 | 5 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| Tug/towboat | 14 | 13 | 1 | 3 | 0 |
| Offshore supply | NA | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Fishing vessel | 60 | 47 | 26 | 25 | 14 |
| Mobile offshore drilling units | NA | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| Platform | NA | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Freight barge | NA | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Tank barge | NA | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Miscellaneous5 | 56 | 11 | 15 | 23 | 13 |
| Not vessel-related4 | 281 | 101 | 69 | 131 | 132 |
| Pipeline | 19 | 9 | 38 | (R) 13 | 22 |
| Hazardous liquid pipeline | 4 | 3 | 1 | 4 | 1 |
| Gas pipeline | 15 | 6 | 37 | (R) 9 | 21 |
Key: NA = not available; R = revised; P = preliminary; U = unavailable at date of publication.
1Large trucks are defined as trucks over the 10,000 pound gross vehicle weight rating, including single-unit trucks and truck tractors.
2Includes Amtrak.
3Includes train accidents and other incidents. Most fatalities involve trespassers who are included under other incidents (442 in 2010).
4Vessel-related casualties include those involving damage to vessels such as collisions or groundings. Fatalities not related to vessel casualties include deaths from falling overboard or from accidents involving onboard equipment.
5Includes industrial vessel, passenger (inspected), passenger (uninspected), recreational, research vessel, unclassified, and unknown data.
Note:
Caution must be exercised in comparing fatalities across modes because significantly different definitions are used. Numbers may not add to totals because some fatalities are counted in more than one mode.
Sources:
Total: U.S. Department of Transportation, Research and Innovative Technology Administration, Bureau of Transportation Statistics, National Transportation Statistics, available at www.bts.gov as of August 29, 2011.
Highway: 1980, 1990, and 2000: U.S. Department of Transportation, National Highway Transportation Safety Administration, National Center for Statistics and Analysis, Traffic Safety Facts, Large Trucks (annual issues). 2008-2009: U.S. Department of Transportation, National Highway Transportation Safety Administration, National Center for Statistics and Analysis, Traffic Safety Facts - Highlights (August 2010).
Railroad: U.S. Department of Transportation, Federal Railroad Administration, Office of Safety Analysis, available at http://safetydata.fra.dot.gov/officeofsafety/default.asp as of August 29, 2011.
Waterborne: U.S. Department of Homeland Security, U.S. Coast Guard, Data Administration Division, personal communication, September 6, 2011.
Pipeline: U.S. Department of Transportation, Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration, Pipeline Safety Program, Pipeline Library, available at http://primis.phmsa.dot.gov/comm/PipelineLibrary.htm as of August 28, 2011.
To view Excel files, you can use the Microsoft Excel Viewer.
