Utah Crash Summary, 2002

NHTSA · 2002 · ROSA P / Utah. Dept. of Public Safety

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Summary

This report, titled *Utah Crash Summary, 2002*, analyzes motor vehicle crash trends, injuries, and fatalities in Utah to identify areas for targeted traffic safety interventions. Produced by the Utah Crash Outcome Data Evaluation System (CODES) at the University of Utah, the study utilizes data from the Crash Analysis Reporting System (CARS) and the Fatality Analysis Reporting System (FARS). The data encompasses crashes reported by law enforcement on public roadways involving injuries, fatalities, or significant property damage, excluding private property incidents since 1997. The analysis covers total crashes, injury crashes, and fatal crashes, with specific sections dedicated to pedestrians, bicyclists, motorcyclists, teenage drivers, alcohol and drug-impaired driving, speeding, and occupant protection. The report defines key metrics, such as "speed-related" and "alcohol-related" crashes, based on officer citations and contributing factors. It also provides historical context by comparing 2002 data against trends from 1972 to 2002, adjusting for vehicle miles traveled to ensure accurate rate comparisons. In 2002, Utah recorded 53,370 crashes, resulting in 30,433 injuries and 329 fatalities. The overall crash rate was 218.4 per 100 million vehicle miles traveled, marking the lowest rate in 30 years and a 5% decrease from 2001. Despite this decline, fatalities increased by 8% from the previous year. Rural crashes were three times more likely to result in death than urban crashes, attributed to higher speeds and delayed emergency response. Head-on collisions and single-vehicle rollovers were significantly more likely to be fatal than other collision types. Vulnerable road users faced high risks: 96% of pedestrians, 93% of bicyclists, and 89.7% of motorcyclists involved in crashes suffered injury or death. Only 37.4% of motorcyclists were wearing helmets. Teenage drivers were involved in approximately one-third of all crashes, with vehicles carrying four or more occupants being five times more likely to be fatal. The report identifies speeding and impairment as major contributors to severe outcomes. Speeding was involved in 7,235 crashes and 86 fatalities, while alcohol and drug involvement accounted for 2,102 crashes and 61 fatalities. Seatbelt use was reported at 87.2% among crash occupants, but unbelted occupants were 20.4 times more likely to die than belted ones. Only 46% of fatalities were wearing seatbelts. The findings underscore the continued impact of motor vehicle crashes on public health, highlighting the need for sustained focus on teenage driver restrictions, helmet and seatbelt compliance, and enforcement against speeding and impaired driving.

Key finding

Unbelted occupants were 20.4 times more likely to sustain a fatal injury than belted occupants, and rural crashes were three times more likely to result in a fatality than urban crashes.

Methodology

dataset

Sample size: 53370

Provenance

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Topics

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

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