Indiana Crash Facts 1997

NHTSA · 1997 · ROSA P / Indiana. Governor's Council on Impaired & Dangerous Driving

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Summary

This report, titled *Indiana Crash Facts 1997*, serves as a comprehensive statistical analysis of motor vehicle traffic safety in Indiana for the year 1997. Produced by the Automotive Transportation Center at Purdue University for the Governor’s Council on Impaired & Dangerous Driving, the document aims to identify persistent traffic safety problems and evaluate progress in reducing fatalities and injuries. The report consolidates previous separate publications on general crash facts and alcohol-related crashes into a single volume to facilitate easier access to data for policymakers and the public. The study relies primarily on data from the Indiana State Police Crash Records database, which contains reports filed by state and local law enforcement agencies, as well as data from the Fatality Analysis Reporting System (FARS). The analysis covers various dimensions of traffic safety, including crash severity, contributing circumstances, vehicle types, driver demographics, and geographic locations. It also incorporates observational data on safety belt usage and specific metrics for vulnerable road users such as pedestrians, bicyclists, and motorcyclists. Key findings for 1997 indicate that 940 people were killed in motor vehicle crashes, representing a 4.3% decrease from the previous year and marking one of the lowest fatality years on record. The fatality rate per 100 million vehicle miles traveled was 1.3, a decrease of 0.2 from 1996. Alcohol involvement remained a significant factor, accounting for 22.8% of fatal crashes (194 crashes). The report highlights that 72.3% of fatal crashes occurred in rural areas, and young drivers, particularly males under 21, were twice as likely to be involved in fatal crashes as other age groups. Among motorcyclists killed, 83% were not wearing helmets. Safety belt usage in passenger cars increased to 68.6% in 1998 following the enactment of a primary safety belt law, though overall usage including trucks remained lower at 61.8%. The significance of this report lies in its role as a strategic tool for setting traffic safety goals and measuring their attainment. The Governor’s Council established specific targets for the years 2000–2005, aiming to reduce the state fatality rate to 0.92 per 100 million vehicle miles traveled by 2005 and increase safety belt usage to 90%. The report underscores the need for continued enforcement of safety laws, particularly regarding impaired driving and seat belt usage, and suggests focusing countermeasures on high-risk groups such as novice drivers and rural residents. It also recommends refining injury reporting metrics to better reflect the impact of vehicle safety improvements like airbags.

Key finding

In 1997, Indiana recorded 940 traffic fatalities with a rate of 1.3 per 100 million vehicle miles traveled, where 22.8 percent of fatal crashes involved alcohol and 72.3 percent occurred in rural areas.

Methodology

dataset

Sample size: 940

Provenance

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Topics

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• incidence prevalence
• demographic disparities
• fatality injury trends
• comparative international

Information type

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• Empirical Findings: crash risk outcomes