2000 Work Zone Traffic Crash Facts Prepared by: Analysis Division Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration U.S. Department of Transportation Washington, D.C. March 2002 2000 Work Zone Traffic Crash Fact Summary ? The number of people killed annually in motor vehicle crashes that occur in work zones averaged 829 from 1996 to 2000. ? On an average from 1996 to 2000, 16% of the fatalities resulting from crashes in work zones involved non-motorists (pedestrians and pedalcyclists). ? Approximately 42,000 people annually were injured as a result of motor vehicle crashes in work zones from 1996 to 2000. ? In 2000, 1,093 fatalities resulted from motor vehicle crashes in work zones. Twenty-four percent of these fatalities resulted from crashes involving large trucks. ? In 2000, 31% of all fatal work zone crashes occurred on the weekend, while only 13% of all fatal large truck work zone crashes occurred on the weekend. ? In 2000, approximately half of all fatal work zone crashes occurred during the day, while about two-thirds of fatal large truck work zone crashes occurred during the day (53% vs. 65%). ? In 2000, the percentage of fatal work zone crashes occurring on urban interstates was almost twice the percentage of all fatal crashes occurring on urban interstates (11% vs. 6%). ? In 2000, the percentage of fatal large truck work zone crashes occurring on urban interstates was much higher than the percentage of all fatal large truck crashes occurring on urban interstates (15% vs. 9%). ? In 2000, approximately 60% of fatal work zone crashes occurred on roads with speed limits of 55 miles per hour or greater. Prepared by the FMCSA Analysis Division March 29, 2002 2000 Work Zone Traffic Crash Facts INTRODUCTION The safe and efficient flow of traffic through construction and maintenance work zones is of particular concern to the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA). Almost 30 percent of work zone crashes involve large trucks. Understanding how, where and when work zone crashes occur supports efforts to create effective countermeasures to prevent future crashes. The descriptive statistics about work zone crashes presented in this report are not exhaustive, but do provide a basic understanding of the characteristics of these crashes. ABOUT THIS REPORT This report presents descriptive statistics for both work zone-related motor vehicle crashes in general as well as work zone-related large truck crashes. In addition to the number of people injured and killed in work zone crashes, the following information is presented: ? When fatal work zone crashes occur: Time of Day, Day of Week, Season (Tables 5-7) ? Where fatal work zone crashes occur: Roadway Function Class, Speed Limit, Traffic Flow, Roadway Alignment, Roadway Profile, Relation to Roadway (Tables 8-13) ? How fatal work zone crashes occur: Number of Vehicles, First Harmful Event, Manner of Collision (Tables 14-16) ? The occurrence of driver violations (Tables 17-18) ? Fatal work zone crashes by State (Table 19) Data presented in this report for fatal crashes were generated from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration's (NHTSA) Fatality Analysis Reporting System. Data for nonfatal crashes were generated by NHTSA's General Estimates System. A work zone crash is a motor vehicle traffic crash that occurs in the vicinity of highway construction, highway maintenance or utility work. The ability to identify whether a crash occurred in a work zone differs from State to State, due in large part to different definitions of a work zone. Table 1 Fatalities in Work Zone Crashes by Person Type, 1996 to 2000 Person Type 1996 1997 1998 1999 2000 5-Year Average Motor Vehicle Occupant 584 600 658 737 916 699 84% Non-Motorist 133 93 114 135 177 130 16% Total 717 693 772 872 1,093 829 100% Source: NHTSA's Fatality Analysis Reporting System ? From 1996 to 2000, the number of people killed in motor vehicle crashes in work zones has gone from a low of 693 in 1997 to a high of 1,093 in 2000, for an average of 829 per year. ? On average from 1996 to 2000, 16% of the fatalities resulting from crashes in work zones were non-motorists (pedestrians and pedalcyclists). ? In 2000, 1,093 fatalities resulted from motor vehicle crashes in work zones, about 3% of total fatalities (41,821). Figure 1 Source: NHTSA's Fatality Analysis Reporting System Table 2 Fatalities in Large Truck Work Zone Crashes by Person Type, 1996 to 2000 Person Type 1996 1997 1998 1999 2000 5-Year Average Truck Occupant 23 17 33 36 42 30 14% Other Vehicle Occupants 128 140 165 162 191 157 74% Non-Motorist 25 21 23 29 31 26 12% Total 176 178 221 227 264 213 100% Source: NHTSA's Fatality Analysis Reporting System ? In 2000, 264 fatalities resulted from large truck crashes in work zones, about 5% of fatalities in large truck crashes (5,211). ? Twenty-four percent of work zone fatalities that occurred in 2000 involved large trucks in the crash (264 out of 1,093). ? From 1996 to 2000, an average of 213 people were killed in large truck crashes in areas designated as work zones, from a high of 264 deaths in 2000 to a low of 176 deaths in 1996. ? In large truck work zone crashes for the time period 1996-2000, 12% of the fatalities were non-motorists. Figure 2 Source: NHTSA's Fatality Analysis Reporting System Table 3 People Injured In Work Zone Crashes by Person Type, 1996 to 2000 Person Type 1996 1997 1998 1999 2000 5-Year Average Motor Vehicle Occupant 36,000 34,000 38,000 49,000 50,000 41,000 98% Non-Motorist 1,000 1,000 1,000 2,000 2,000 1,000 2% Total 37,000 35,000 39,000 51,000 52,000 42,000 100% Source: NHTSA's General Estimates System NOTE: Estimates rounded to nearest thousand ? Over the last 5 years, non-motorists constituted about 2% of people injured in work zone crashes. Figure 3 Source: NHTSA's General Estimates System ? Approximately 52,000 people were injured as a result of motor vehicle crashes in work zones in 2000, about 2% of the 3,189,000 persons injured in motor vehicle crashes. Table 4 People Injured In Large Truck Work Zone Crashes by Person Type, 1996 to 2000 Person Type 1996 1997 1998 1999 2000 5-Year Average Motor Vehicle Occupant 2,000 3,000 3,000 5,000 5,000 4,000 Non-Motorist * * * * * * Total 2,000 3,000 3,000 5,000 5,000 4,000 Source: NHTSA's General Estimates System * less than 500 injured people NOTE: Estimates rounded to nearest thousand ? Approximately 5,000 people were injured in large truck work zone crashes in 2000, about 4% of the 140,000 people injured in large truck crashes that year. ? About 10% of people injured in work zone traffic crashes (5,000/52,000) in 2000 were injured in crashes involving large trucks. Table 5 Fatal Crashes by Time of Day and Work Zone, 2000 Time of Day Fatal Crashes % Fatal Work Zone Crashes % Fatal Large Truck Crashes % Fatal Large Truck Work Zone Crashes % Night 18,888 50% 458 47% 1,463 32% 75 35% Day 18,521 50% 508 53% 3,056 68% 141 65% Total 37,409 100% 966 100% 4,519 100% 216 100% Source: NHTSA's Fatality Analysis Reporting System ? Half of all fatal work zone crashes occurred during the day (50%), while 65% of fatal large truck work zone crashes occurred during the day. Table 6 Fatal Crashes by Day of Week and Work Zone, 2000 Day of Week Fatal Crashes % Fatal Work Zone Crashes % Fatal Large Truck Crashes % Fatal Large Truck Work Zone Crashes % Weekend (Sat & Sun) 12,912 35% 299 31% 677 15% 29 13% Weekdays (Mon-Fri) 24,492 65% 667 69% 3,842 85% 187 87% Unknown 5 * 0 0% 0 0% 0 0% Total 37,409 100% 966 100% 4,519 100% 216 100% Source: NHTSA's Fatality Analysis Reporting System * Less than one percent ? Over twice as many fatal work zone crashes occurred on weekdays than on weekends. However, based on the number of fatal crashes in work zones per day, fewer fatal crashes occurred in work zones on weekdays (667/5=133 vs. 299/2=150). For large trucks, over six times as many fatal work zone crashes occurred on weekdays, or about 37 per weekday and 15 per weekend day. Table 7 Fatal Crashes by Season and Work Zone, 2000 Season All Fatal Crashes % Fatal Work Zone Crashes % Fatal Large Truck Crashes % Fatal Large Truck Work Zone Crashes % Winter 8,511 23% 155 16% 1,065 24% 28 13% Spring 9,037 24% 264 27% 1,062 23% 65 30% Summer 10,186 27% 288 30% 1,216 27% 64 30% Fall 9,675 26% 259 27% 1,176 26% 59 27% Total 37,409 100% 966 100% 4,519 100% 216 100% Source: NHTSA's Fatality Analysis Reporting System ? Fatal work zone crashes, regardless of whether a large truck was involved, occurred least often in the winter. This may be the result of most work zones being set up in the spring through fall. Table 8 Fatal Crashes by Roadway Function Class and Work Zone, 2000 Roadway Function Class Fatal Crash es % Fatal Work Zone Crashes % Fatal Large Truck Crashes % Fatal Large Truck Work Zone Crashes % Rural-Interstate 2,699 7% 131 14% 639 14% 57 26% Rural-Other 18,020 48% 375 39% 2,234 50% 74 34% Subtotal – Rural 20,719 55% 506 53% 2,873 64% 131 60% Urban-Interstate 2,115 6% 109 11% 426 9% 33 15% Urban-Other 12,316 33% 303 31% 977 22% 40 19% Subtotal – Urban 14,431 39% 412 42% 1,403 31% 73 34% Unknown 2,259 6% 48 5% 243 5% 12 6% Total 37,409 100% 966 100% 4,519 100% 216 100% Source: NHTSA's Fatality Analysis Reporting System ? The majority of fatal motor vehicle crashes, regardless of the vehicles involved or whether they occurred in a work zone or not, occur in rural areas. Based on data from the Federal Highway Administration's Highway Statistics 2000, only 39% of all vehicle miles traveled and 58% of all truck travel are on rural roads. ? The percentage of fatal work zone crashes occurring on urban interstates was almost twice the percentage of all fatal crashes occurring on urban interstates (11% vs. 6%). ? For fatal large truck crashes, the percentage of work zone crashes occurring on urban interstates was also much higher than the percentage of all fatal large truck crashes occurring on urban interstates (15% vs. 9%). Table 9 Fatal Crashes by Speed Limit and Work Zone, 2000 Speed Limit Fatal Crashes % Fatal Work Zone Crashes % Fatal Large Truck Crashes % Fatal Large Truck Work Zone Crashes % 1-50 mph 16,875 45% 383 40% 1,313 29% 63 29% 55-75 mph 19,566 52% 568 59% 3,149 70% 150 70% Unknown 968 3% 15 1% 57 1% 3 1% Total 37,409 100% 966 100% 4,519 100% 216 100% Source: NHTSA's Fatality Analysis Reporting System ? The majority of fatal work zone crashes for all vehicles and large trucks occurred on roads with speed limits of 55 miles per hour or greater (59% and 70%, respectively). Table 10 Fatal Crashes by Traffic Flow and Work Zone, 2000 Traffic Flow Fatal Crashes % Fatal Work Zone Crashes % Fatal Large Truck Crashes % Fatal Large Truck Work Zone Crashes % Not Divided 24,021 64% 471 49% 2,456 54% 86 40% Median-No Barrier 9,248 25% 298 31% 1,439 32% 76 35% Median w/Barrier 3,057 8% 172 18% 537 12% 51 24% Unknown 1,083 3% 25 2% 87 2% 3 1% Total 37,409 100% 966 100% 4,519 100% 216 100% Source: NHTSA's Fatality Analysis Reporting System ? Although the majority of fatal large truck crashes occurred on roads that are not divided (54%), the majority of fatal large truck work zone crashes occurred on roads that are divided (35% + 24%=59%). Table 11 Fatal Crashes by Roadway Alignment and Work Zone, 2000 Roadway Alignment Fatal Crashes % Fatal Work Zone Crashes % Fatal Large Truck Crashes % Fatal Large Truck Work Zone Crashes % Straight 27,717 74% 786 81% 3,689 82% 189 88% Curve 9,291 25% 174 18% 817 18% 25 12% Unknown 401 1% 6 1% 13 * 2 * Total 37,409 100% 966 100% 4,519 100% 216 100% Source: NHTSA's Fatality Analysis Reporting System * Less than one percent ? The vast majority of fatal crashes occurred on straight roads (74%). The same is true for all work zone crashes (81%), large truck involved crashes (82%), and large truck work zone crashes (88%). Table 12 Fatal Crashes by Roadway Profile and Work Zone, 2000 Roadway Profile Fatal Crashes % Fatal Work Zone Crashes % Fatal Large Truck Crashes % Fatal Large Truck Work Zone Crashes % Level 26,608 71% 698 72% 3,264 72% 153 71% Grade 8,909 24% 236 25% 1,102 24% 53 24% Other /Unk 1,892 5% 32 3% 153 4% 10 5% Total 37,409 100% 966 100% 4,519 100% 216 100% Source: NHTSA's Fatality Analysis Reporting System ? About three times as many fatal crashes occurred on level roadways than on grade roadways, regardless of whether there is a work zone present or a large truck involved. Table 13 Fatal Crashes by Relation to Roadway and Work Zone, 2000 Relation to Roadway Fatal Crashes % Fatal Work Zone Crashes % Fatal Large Truck Crashes % Fatal Large Truck Work Zone Crashes % On Roadway 21,821 58% 611 63% 3,948 87% 186 86% Off Roadway 15,298 41% 353 37% 567 13% 30 14% Unknown 290 1% 2 * 4 * 0 0% Total 37,409 100% 966 100% 4,519 100% 216 100% Source: NHTSA's Fatality Analysis Reporting System * Less than one percent ? While almost twice as many fatal work zone crashes involving all vehicles occurred on the roadway compared to off the roadway, more than 6 times as many fatal large truck work zone crashes occurred on the roadway compared to off the roadway (86% vs. 14%). Table 14 Fatal Crashes by Number of Vehicles Involved and Work Zone, 2000 Number of Vehicles Involved Fatal Crashes % Fatal Work Zone Crashes % Fatal Large Truck Crashes % Fatal Large Truck Work Zone Crashes % One 21,052 56% 495 51% 802 18% 34 16% Two 13,766 37% 338 35% 2,950 65% 114 53% More than 2 2,591 7% 133 14% 767 17% 68 31% Total 37,409 100% 966 100% 4,519 100% 216 100% Source: NHTSA's Fatality Analysis Reporting System ? While the majority of all fatal crashes involved only one vehicle (56%), the majority of large truck fatal crashes occurring in work zones involved two or more vehicles ( 84%). ? Over 80% of fatal large truck crashes involved two or more vehicles, regardless of whether a work zone was present. Table 15 Fatal Crashes by First Harmful Event and Work Zone, 2000 First Harmful Event Collision With: Fatal Crashes % Fatal Work Zone Crashes % Fatal Large Truck Crashes % Fatal Large Truck Work Zone Crashes % Motor Vehicle in Transport 15,435 41% 427 44% 3,515 78% 162 75% Fixed Object 11,302 30% 233 24% 331 8% 17 8% Pedestrian 4,441 12% 131 14% 285 6% 19 9% Non-Collision 4,423 12% 85 9% 236 5% 7 3% Not Fixed Object 1,774 5% 90 9% 150 3% 11 5% Unknown 34 * 0 0% 2 * 0 0% Total 37,409 100% 966 100% 4,519 100% 216 100% Source: NHTSA's Fatality Analysis Reporting System * Less than one percent ? A vast majority of large truck fatal crashes, whether or not in a work zone, occurred as a result of a collision with another moving vehicle. Table 16 Two-Vehicle Fatal Crashes by Manner of Collision and Work Zone, 2000 Manner of Collision Fatal Crashes % Fatal Work Zone Crashes % Fatal Large Truck Crashes % Fatal Large Truck Work Zone Crashes % Rear-end 1,388 10% 56 17% 546 19% 31 27% Head-on 4,558 33% 112 33% 868 29% 28 25% Angle 6,597 48% 124 37% 1,256 43% 34 30% Side-Swipe: Same direction 269 2% 10 3% 65 2% 5 4% Side-Swipe: Opposition direction 106 1% 1 * 55 2% 1 1% Not Applicable/Unknown 848 6% 35 10% 160 5% 15 13% Total 13,766 100% 338 100% 2,950 100% 114 100% Source: NHTSA's Fatality Analysis Reporting System * Less than one percent ? The most common manner of collision for all two-vehicle fatal work zone crashes was an angle collision (37%), followed by head-on (33%) and rear-end (17%). ? For two-vehicle fatal work zone crashes where one of the vehicles was a large truck, the most common manner of collision was angle (30%), followed by rear-end (27%) and head-on (25%). Table 17 Drivers Involved in Multi-Vehicle Fatal Truck-Related Crashes by Driver Type, Violations Charged and Work Zone, 2000 Violations Charged Truck Drivers Fatal Crashes % Other Driver Fatal Crashes % Truck Driver Fatal Work Zone Crashes % Other Driver Fatal Work Zone Crashes % Yes 476 12% 283 6% 27 12% 14 6% No 3,610 88% 4,256 94% 203 88% 235 94% Source: NHTSA's Fatality Analysis Reporting System ? Only a minority of drivers involved in multiple-vehicle fatal truck crashes was charged with violations. The proportion of truck drivers involved in fatal crashes that were charged with violations was the same regardless of whether the crash occurred in a work zone. The same was true for drivers of the other vehicle involved. Table 18 Drivers Involved in Single-Vehicle Fatal Crashes by Driver Type, Violations Charged and Work Zone, 2000 Violations Charged Truck Drivers Involved in Fatal Crashes % Non-Truck Drivers Involved in Fatal Crashes % Truck Drivers Involved in Fatal Truck Crashes in Work Zones % Non-Truck Drivers Involved in Fatal Crashes in Work Zones % Yes 73 9% 2,776 14% 3 9% 57 12% No 724 91% 17,389 86% 31 91% 402 88% Source: NHTSA's Fatality Analysis Reporting System ? The percentage of large truck drivers charged with a violation in single-vehicle fatal crashes was less than the percentage for non-truck drivers charged with a violation in single-vehicle fatal crashes (9% vs. 14%). Similarly, the percentage of large truck drivers charged with a violation in fatal single vehicle work zone crashes was less than the percentage of non-truck drivers charged with a violation in single-vehicle fatal crashes (9% vs. 12%). Table 19 2000 Fatalities by Work Zone and Large Truck Involvement (FARS) TOTAL FATALITIES FATALITIES IN LARGE TRUCK CRASHES STATE TOTAL WORK ZONE TOTAL WORK ZONE Alabama 995 20 159 3 Alaska 103 2 4 0 Arizona 1,036 31 105 4 Arkansas 652 30 118 7 California 3,753 121 376 22 Colorado 681 11 68 2 Connecticut 342 8 34 5 Delaware 123 2 20 1 Dist. of Columbia 49 0 4 0 Florida 2,999 83 310 10 Georgia 1,541 95 219 27 Hawaii 131 1 1 0 Idaho 276 8 26 1 Illinois 1,418 52 173 10 Indiana 875 40 162 15 Iowa 445 10 90 4 Kansas 461 16 81 6 Kentucky 820 9 101 4 Louisiana 937 11 126 5 Maine 169 4 30 0 Maryland 588 16 63 3 Massachusetts 433 7 51 2 Michigan 1,382 11 156 6 Minnesota 625 18 87 3 Mississippi 949 1 123 0 Missouri 1,157 16 183 3 Montana 237 3 26 1 Nebraska 276 8 56 2 Nevada 323 11 37 1 New Hampshire 126 1 10 0 New Jersey 731 33 94 6 New Mexico 430 9 50 0 New York 1,458 20 156 6 North Carolina 1,472 44 188 13 North Dakota 86 0 10 0 Ohio 1,351 34 182 8 Oklahoma 652 9 112 1 Oregon 451 6 52 1 Pennsylvania 1,520 37 184 9 Rhode Island 80 1 1 0 South Carolina 1,065 14 89 0 South Dakota 173 5 22 2 Tennessee 1,306 31 162 16 Texas 3,769 155 510 42 Utah 373 0 39 0 Vermont 79 2 9 0 Virginia 930 21 105 7 Washington 632 15 72 4 West Virginia 410 4 57 1 Wisconsin 799 4 97 1 Wyoming 152 3 21 0 Total 41,821 1,093 5,211 264 Source: NHTSA's Fatality Analysis Reporting System SUMMARY: Of the 41,821 fatalities in motor vehicles crashes in 2000, about 3% occurred in work zone areas. However, 24% of the fatalities in work zone crashes involved large trucks, compared to 12% of fatalities in all crashes. Of the approximately 3.2 million people injured in non-fatal motor vehicle crashes in 2000, less than 2% of the injuries occurred in work zone crashes. About 10% of the people injured in work zone crashes were injured in crashes involving large trucks. Information on work zone crashes involving large trucks is available from the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA), Analysis Division, 400 Seventh Street, S.W., Washington, D.C. 20590, (202-366-1861), or www.fmcsa.dot.gov. General information about work zone safety may also be obtained from the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA), Safety Design Division, 400 Seventh Street, S.W., Washington, D.C. 20590, at (202) 366-1795, or http://safety.fhwa.dot.gov. FMCSA-RI-02-006 3