1998 Pennsylvania Crash Facts and Statistics

NHTSA · 1998 · ROSA P / Pennsylvania. Dept. of Transportation

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Summary

The 1998 Pennsylvania Crash Facts and Statistics report, published by the Pennsylvania Department of Transportation (PennDOT), provides a comprehensive statistical review of reportable motor vehicle crashes in Pennsylvania for the calendar year 1998. The data is compiled from traffic crash reports submitted by state, county, municipal, and other law enforcement agencies. The report aims to quantify the scope of traffic safety issues, including crash frequencies, injury severities, economic losses, and specific risk factors such as alcohol involvement, driver demographics, and environmental conditions. The study analyzes 140,972 reportable crashes, defined as incidents resulting in death, injury, or vehicle damage requiring towing. The dataset covers 100.4 billion vehicle-miles of travel across Pennsylvania’s 119,000 miles of roads. The report categorizes data by crash type, vehicle type, driver age and sex, time of day, weather conditions, and geographic location. It also includes five-year trend analyses (1994–1998) and historical data dating back to 1928 to contextualize current statistics. Specific sections detail alcohol-related crashes, seat belt usage, pedestrian and bicycle incidents, and crashes involving heavy trucks, motorcycles, and school buses. In 1998, traffic crashes resulted in 1,486 deaths and 134,092 injuries. Despite a 2.1% decrease in total reported crashes and a 4.9% decrease in deaths compared to 1997, the fatality rate reached a record low of 1.48 deaths per 100 million vehicle-miles. Alcohol-related crashes claimed 535 lives, representing an increase in alcohol-related deaths despite the overall decline in fatalities. Passenger cars and light trucks accounted for the vast majority of crashes and occupant deaths. Male drivers aged 16–20 were involved in more crashes than any other demographic group. Crashes involving a single vehicle hitting a fixed object were the most prevalent crash type, while head-on collisions caused the third-highest number of deaths. The economic loss due to traffic crashes was estimated at over $11.8 billion, equating to approximately $987 per Pennsylvania resident. The report highlights that while total crashes and injuries declined, alcohol-related fatalities increased, indicating a persistent safety challenge. The record-low fatality rate suggests improvements in vehicle safety, roadway design, or enforcement, though the high volume of crashes involving young male drivers and alcohol underscores specific areas for intervention. The data provides a baseline for evaluating highway safety programs and understanding the distribution of crash risks across different road types, times, and conditions.

Key finding

In 1998, Pennsylvania recorded 140,972 reportable traffic crashes resulting in 1,486 deaths and 134,092 injuries, with a fatality rate of 1.48 deaths per hundred million vehicle-miles of travel.

Methodology

dataset

Sample size: 140972

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