State Traffic Safety Information: Current as of January 1, 1998
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Summary
This document, published by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) in December 1997, serves as a comprehensive statistical report on traffic safety conditions across all 50 U.S. states and the District of Columbia. The primary objective is to provide standardized, comparable data to NHTSA personnel and state traffic safety officials to support policy analysis and program implementation. The information is current as of January 1, 1998, with the most recent data points generally drawn from 1996 for crash statistics and 1994 for economic costs. The report compiles data from multiple federal sources, including the Fatality Analysis Reporting System (FARS), the Federal Highway Administration’s vehicle miles traveled (VMT) estimates, and U.S. Census Bureau population figures. For each state, the document presents a standardized fact sheet detailing traffic fatalities from 1986 to 1996, fatality rates per VMT and per population, and the 1994 economic cost of motor vehicle crashes. It further breaks down specific crash factors, including the percentage of fatal crashes involving alcohol (defined as a blood alcohol concentration of 0.01 g/dl or greater) and speed. The report also documents occupant restraint use rates, distinguishing between police-reported data for fatally injured occupants and observed survey data. Additionally, it outlines the status of key legislative issues, such as administrative license revocation, zero-tolerance laws for drivers under 21, 0.08 BAC per se laws, and graduated licensing programs. Financial data regarding available NHTSA highway safety program funds for fiscal years 1996 and 1997 are also included. Key findings highlight significant variations in safety metrics across states. For instance, in 1996, the U.S. total for traffic fatalities was 41,907, with a national fatality rate of 1.7 per 100 million VMT. Alcohol involvement in fatal crashes ranged widely, from 28.0% in Connecticut to 50.1% in Alaska, compared to a national average of 40.8%. Speed-related fatal crashes accounted for 30.4% of all fatal crashes nationally, though individual state percentages varied, such as 46.6% in the District of Columbia and 22.6% in Georgia. Restraint use also showed disparity; California reported an observed seat belt use rate of 88%, while Arkansas reported only 48%. The report quantifies the "lives saved" by current safety belt, child safety seat, and motorcycle helmet laws, providing estimates of additional lives that could be saved if usage reached 100%. The significance of this publication lies in its role as a foundational resource for evaluating the effectiveness of state-level traffic safety initiatives and legislative frameworks. By standardizing data on fatalities, economic costs, and legal statuses, the report enables policymakers to identify high-risk areas and correlate legislative actions, such as the adoption of primary seat belt laws or 0.08 BAC limits, with safety outcomes. It provides a snapshot of the national traffic safety landscape at the end of the 1990s, facilitating targeted interventions and the allocation of federal grant resources based on empirical evidence.
Key finding
The document provides a comprehensive statistical snapshot of traffic safety indicators and legislative environments for U.S. states and the District of Columbia as of early 1998, rather than presenting a specific experimental result or causal finding.
Methodology
dataset
Provenance
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| verify | success | — | — | — | 2 | 2026-06-10 |
Summary generated by qwen3.6-27b-prismaquant on 2026-06-10; verification: verified.
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- Empirical Findings: crash risk outcomes, observational prevalence