1997 Pennsylvania Crash Facts and Statistics

NHTSA · 1997 · ROSA P / Pennsylvania. Dept. of Transportation

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Summary

The 1997 Pennsylvania Crash Facts and Statistics report, published by the Pennsylvania Department of Transportation, provides a comprehensive statistical review of reportable motor vehicle traffic crashes in Pennsylvania for the calendar year 1997. The data is compiled from traffic crash reports submitted by state, county, municipal, and other law enforcement agencies. The report aims to document the frequency, severity, and characteristics of crashes to inform highway safety efforts. The methodology relies on administrative data defined by the Pennsylvania Vehicle Code. A "reportable crash" is defined as any incident resulting in a death within 30 days, any injury, or property damage requiring towing. The report categorizes crashes by injury severity, crash type, vehicle type, driver demographics, environmental conditions, and location. It also includes historical trends, comparing 1997 data to previous years and long-term historical records dating back to 1928. In 1997, there were 143,981 reportable crashes, resulting in 1,562 deaths and 138,820 injuries. This represented a 6.3% increase in deaths and a 1.4% increase in injuries compared to 1996. The fatality rate was 1.59 deaths per 100 million vehicle-miles of travel, the highest since 1993. Passenger cars were involved in the majority of crashes (69.6%), followed by light trucks (23.3%). Male drivers aged 16–20 were involved in more crashes than any other demographic group. Regarding crash types, hitting a fixed object was the most common (32.6%), while head-on collisions caused the second-highest number of deaths. Adverse weather conditions were present in approximately 30% of crashes, with dry roads accounting for 70.4%. Vehicle defects, primarily tire/wheel and engine failures, contributed to a subset of crashes. Alcohol-related deaths increased by 2.2% from the previous year. The total estimated economic loss due to these crashes was $11.88 billion, equating to $988 per resident. The report highlights significant safety concerns, including the high involvement of young male drivers and the substantial economic burden of traffic crashes. It notes that while fatality rates have decreased significantly over the past 60 years, the 1997 figures represented a regression in safety performance compared to the mid-1990s. The data serves as a baseline for evaluating the effectiveness of safety interventions, such as seat belt usage and alcohol enforcement, and identifies specific high-risk areas, such as work zones and intersections involving young drivers.

Key finding

In 1997, Pennsylvania recorded 143,981 reportable traffic crashes that resulted in 1,562 deaths and 138,820 injuries.

Methodology

dataset

Sample size: 143981

Provenance

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Topics

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• incidence prevalence
• demographic disparities
• fatality injury trends
• comparative international
• vru crash typology

Information type

What kind of knowledge this paper contributes, grouped by family — independent of topic (what it is about) and method (how it was studied).

• Empirical Findings: crash risk outcomes, observational prevalence