Freight Facts and Figures 2008
Table 5-2. Injured Persons by Freight Transportation Mode: 1980-2007
Highways and railroads account for almost all of the people injured by freight transportation, and the number of those injuries has dropped substantially over the last 25 years.
Table in Excel format | Historical data
 |
1980 | 1990 | 2000 | 2006 | 2007 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| TOTAL injured persons (passenger and freight) | NA | NA | 3,259,673 | 2,604,648 | NA |
| Highway (passenger and freight) | NA | 3,230,666 | 3,188,750 | 2,575,000 | 2,491,000 |
| Large truck occupants1 | NA | 41,822 | 30,832 | 23,000 | 23,000 |
| Others injured in crashes involving large trucks | NA | 108,000 | 109,000 | 83,000 | NA |
| Large truck occupants1 (percent) | NA | 1.3 | 1.0 | 0.9 | 0.9 |
| Others injured in crashes involving large trucks (percent) | NA | 3.3 | 3.4 | 3.2 | NA |
| Railroad (passenger and freight) | 62,246 | 25,143 | 11,643 | (R) 8,630 | 8,960 |
| Highway-rail grade crossing2 | 3,550 | 2,407 | 1,219 | (R) 1,067 | 1,039 |
| Railroad2,3 | 58,696 | 22,736 | 10,424 | (R) 7,563 | 7,921 |
| Waterborne (passenger and freight) | NA | NA | 665 | (R) 1,054 | 710 |
| Vessel-related4 | 180 | 175 | 151 | (R) 368 | 169 |
| Freight ship | 8 | 10 | 5 | (R) 21 | 8 |
| Tank ship | 9 | 13 | 3 | 2 | 3 |
| Tug/towboat | 27 | 19 | 18 | (R) 33 | 20 |
| Offshore supply | NA | 9 | 6 | (R) 7 | 6 |
| Fishing vessel | 28 | 31 | 21 | (R) 35 | 28 |
| Mobile offshore drilling units | NA | 13 | 0 | (R) 3 | 5 |
| Platform | NA | 9 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| Freight barge | NA | 3 | 2 | (R) 1 | 7 |
| Tank barge | NA | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Miscellaneous5 | 98 | 12 | 96 | (R) 266 | 91 |
| Not related to vessel casualties4 | NA | NA | 514 | (R) 686 | 541 |
| Pipeline | 192 | 76 | 81 | 35 | 62 |
| Hazardous liquid pipeline | 15 | 7 | 4 | 2 | 9 |
| Gas pipeline | 177 | 69 | 77 | (R) 33 | 53 |
Key: NA = not available; R = revised.
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 injuries involve workers on duty (5,282 in 2007).
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.
5Includes industrial vessel, passenger (inspected), passenger (uninspected), recreational, research vessel, unclassified, and unknown data.
Note:
Numbers may not add to totals due to some injuries being counted in more than one mode.
Sources:
Total and Pipeline: U.S. Department of Transportation, Research and Innovative Technology Administration, Bureau of Transportation Statistics, National Transportation Statistics 2008, available at www.bts.gov/ as of August 14, 2008.
Highway: National Center for Transportation Analysis, National Highway Transit Safety Administration, Traffic Safety Facts, Large Trucks (annual issues). 2006-2007: National Center for Transportation Analysis, National Highway Transit Safety Administration, Traffic Safety Facts (August 2008).
Highway-Rail Grade Crossings: U.S. Department of Transportation, Federal Railroad Administration, Office of Safety Analysis, available at safetydata.fra.dot.gov/officeofsafety/default.asp as of August 14, 2008.
Waterborne: U.S. Department of Homeland Security, U.S. Coast Guard, Data Administration Division, personal communication, August 14, 2008.
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