About 35,200 people died in motor vehicle crashes in 2013, a 3% decline from 2012, the National Safety Council said Feb. 12.
The 2013 figure is still higher than 2011’s fatality count, NSC said, adding that 2012 was likely a one-year bump because of weather.
“More than 90% of crashes are due to human error,” John Ulczycki, vice president of strategic initiatives at NSC, said in the statement. “We all need to look at the risks we take and the resulting harm that may be caused to ourselves and others. Many of these 35,200 fatalities last year surely involved people taking risks they thought they could handle. Sadly, they were wrong.”
In addition to the drop in deaths, NSC estimated a 2% decline in highway-crash injuries, to 3.8 million. The cost of crashes also fell 3% to $267.5 million, the group said.
NSC estimates crash statistics using data gathered monthly from state law enforcement agencies. It does not separate truck-involved crashes.
The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration annually publishes official crash statistics that include a truck-involved breakout, but it has not released 2013 totals yet. NHTSA said in November that 3,921 people died in truck-involved crashes in 2012, a 3.7% increase from the prior year.
