Freight Facts and Figures 2010
Table 5-2. Injured Persons by Freight Transportation Mode: 1980-2009
The highway and railroad modes account for almost all of the injuries in freight transportation, but the number of injuries has dropped substantially since 2000.
Table in Excel format | Historical data
 |
1980 | 1990 | 2000 | 2008 | 2009 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Total injured persons (passenger and freight) | NA | NA | 3,259,673 | NA | NA |
| Highway (passenger and freight) | NA | 3,230,666 | 3,188,750 | 2,346,000 | 2,217,000 |
| Large truck occupants1 | NA | 41,822 | 30,832 | 23,000 | 17,000 |
| Others injured in crashes involving large trucks | NA | 108,000 | 109,000 | NA | NA |
| Large truck occupants1 (percent) | NA | 1.3 | 1.0 | 1.0 | 0.8 |
| Others injured in crashes involving large trucks (percent) | NA | 3.3 | 3.4 | NA | NA |
| Railroad (passenger and freight) | 62,246 | 25,143 | 11,643 | (R) 8,949 | 7,738 |
| Highway-rail grade crossing2 | 3,550 | 2,407 | 1,219 | (R) 969 | 712 |
| Railroad2,3 | 58,696 | 22,736 | 10,424 | (R) 7,942 | 7,177 |
| Waterborne (passenger and freight) | NA | NA | 665 | 628 | 722 |
| Vessel-related4 | 180 | 175 | 151 | 159 | 186 |
| Freight ship | 8 | 10 | 5 | 11 | 8 |
| Tank ship | 9 | 13 | 3 | 3 | 4 |
| Tug/towboat | 27 | 19 | 18 | 20 | 39 |
| Offshore supply | NA | 9 | 6 | 2 | 0 |
| Fishing vessel | 28 | 31 | 21 | 17 | 35 |
| Mobile offshore drilling units | NA | 13 | 0 | 2 | 1 |
| Platform | NA | 9 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Freight barge | NA | 3 | 2 | 1 | 0 |
| Tank barge | NA | 3 | 0 | 7 | 1 |
| Miscellaneous5 | 98 | 12 | 96 | 96 | 98 |
| Not related to vessel casualties4 | NA | NA | 514 | 469 | 536 |
| Pipeline | 192 | 76 | 81 | (R) 61 | 63 |
| Hazardous liquid pipeline | 15 | 7 | 4 | 2 | 4 |
| Gas pipeline | 177 | 69 | 77 | (R) 59 | 59 |
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 (4,180 in 2009).
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, available at www.bts.gov/ as of August 13, 2010.
Highway: 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).
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 13, 2010.
Waterborne: U.S. Department of Homeland Security, U.S. Coast Guard, Data Administration Division, personal communication, November 3, 2010.
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