Highway deaths reached the highest
level in 12 years in 2002

WASHINGTON - Highway deaths reached the highest level in 12 years in 2002, but the number of injuries dropped to a historic low, according to new government statistics.

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration said Thursday that 42,815 people died in auto accidents in 2002, an increase of 1.5 percent from 2001. At the same time, the number of injuries dropped, from 3.03 million in 2001 to 2.92 million in 2002.

NHTSA said the differences may be explained by safer vehicles and more people wearing seat belts, leading to fewer injuries in lower-speed crashes. People wore seat belts about 75 percent of the time in 2002.

Jonathan Adkins, a spokesman for the Governors Highway Safety Association, added that more people are driving more miles than ever, and that the number of deaths per miles traveled has remained relatively constant.

Adkins said the statistics will need more research. ``There's still a lot about highway safety we don't know,'' he said.

Fatalities in rollover crashes accounted for 82 percent of the increase in 2002, NHTSA said. The agency said 10,666 people died in rollover crashes, up 5 percent from 2001. The number of people killed in sport utility vehicle rollovers increased 14 percent, NHTSA said.

Officials remained frustrated by the high number of deaths caused by drunken drivers. Alcohol-related fatalities accounted for 41 percent of the total number of deaths, or 17,419. That was up slightly from 17,400 deaths in 2001.

Fifty-nine percent of those killed in accidents also weren't wearing seat belts, NHTSA said.

In a meeting with employees from NHTSA and other safety agencies Wednesday, Transportation Secretary Norman Mineta said his priority for the next 18 months will be reducing traffic deaths and injuries.

``Once and for all we must resolve the national epidemic on our highways,'' Mineta said. He said a first step would be passing laws requiring seat belt use in every state. Right now, only eighteen states and the District of Columbia have primary belt laws, which allow police to pull over motorists for failing to wear a seat belt.

NHTSA statistics also showed:

Motorcycle fatalities increased for the fifth year in a row, to 3,244. It was the smallest increase in that five-year period, but NHTSA said it was concerned that a rising number of deaths are riders 50 and older;

Fatalities from large truck crashes dropped from 5,111 in 2001 to 4,897 in 2002;

Fatalities among children ages 7 and younger dropped to a historic low of 968, from 1,059 in 2001;

Pedestrian deaths declined 1.9 percent to 4,808;

In side-impact crashes between cars and light trucks, including SUVs, the occupants of the car were 20.8 times more likely to be killed. In head-on collisions, the car occupants were 3.3 times more likely to be killed.

Copyright 2003 The Associated Press

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