NDDOT 2019 Crash Summary

[Pages:24]2019

NORTH DAKOTA CRASH SUMMARY

A Message from the NDDOT Director

Motor vehicle crashes are the leading cause of injury-related death in North Dakota. While the North Dakota Department of Transportation (NDDOT) is continually making highway improvements, there is still work to be done. In January 2018, the NDDOT, the Governor's Office and several other partner agencies came together to launch Vision Zero: Zero fatalities. Zero excuses. The Vision Zero strategy aims to establish a culture of personal responsibility where motor vehicle fatalities and serious injuries are recognized as preventable and not tolerated.

Vision Zero is implemented through various safety strategies including: (1) widespread public education/outreach, (2) working with the legislature to ensure state laws represent best practices in traffic safety, (3) implementing work place policies that support driver and passenger safety, (4) conducting high visibility enforcement of existing laws, (5) applying technology advancements that make vehicles, roads and drivers safer, and (6) infrastructure/road safety improvements.

We are asking every driver and vehicle occupant in North Dakota to help us meet the Vision Zero goal of zero motor vehicle fatalities and serious injuries on North Dakota roads by taking personal responsibility when traveling. This means always wearing a seat belt, transporting children in child passenger safety seats appropriate for the child's age, height and weight, driving distraction-free, driving sober, and obeying all posted speed limits and all other traffic laws.

The Vision Zero goal of zero fatalities and serious injuries is attainable and vital. When it comes to your life and the lives of your family and friends, is any other number acceptable? Let us all arrive at our destination safely by each taking a role in Vision Zero.

Bill Panos NDDOT Director

About This Document

This document is prepared annually by the North Dakota Department of Transportation (NDDOT) Safety Division to provide information about motor vehicle crashes, fatalities and injuries in North Dakota. Data for this document is collected by North Dakota law enforcement officers who complete a crash report when a crash on a public road involved a fatality, injury or at least $4,000 in property damage. The reportable property damage threshold increased to $4,000 on August 1, 2019. For crashes occurring prior to August 1, 2019, the reportable property damage threshold was $1,000. Crashes that occur off of a public road (for example, on private property or parking lots) are not included. Crash reports are submitted by law enforcement to the NDDOT Safety Division for central collection and data analysis. The data reported here reflects the point in time when the data was analyzed. Comparison to other data analysis may vary. Gratitude is extended to all law enforcement personnel at the city, county, state and tribal levels who provide this valuable data for analysis.

Crashes are not accidents. The word "accident" promotes the perception that crashes are outside of human control when, in fact, crashes are predictable results of specific actions.

Table of Contents

Executive Summary . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1 Vehicle Crashes, Fatalities & Injuries in North Dakota: . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2-3 A Decade in Review (2010-2019) 2019 Vehicle Crashes, Fatalities & Injuries in North Dakota . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4-7 Occupant Protection . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8-9 Impaired Driving . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .10 Distracted Driving . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .11 Speed and/or Aggressive Driving . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12 Lane Departure . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .13 Young Drivers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14 Bicycles and Pedestrians . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .15 Motorcycles and Off-Highway Vehicles . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .16 Preventing Vehicle Crashes, Fatalities & Injuries . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .17 Do you want to get involved in motor vehicle crash prevention? . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .18 North Dakota Crash Memorial Wall . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .19

Executive Summary

Motor vehicle crashes are the leading cause of injury-related death in North Dakota.1 Motor vehicle crash fatalities and injuries are sudden, violent and traumatic events. The impact is long-lasting, often permanent, and extends beyond the victims to impact the lives of the victim's family, friends and community.

The good news is, crashes are preventable.

Research shows that 94% of motor vehicle crashes can be attributed to a preventable human behavior.2

In North Dakota in 2019, preventable human behavior including not wearing a seat belt, alcohol and speed and/ or aggressive driving contributed significantly to motor vehicle fatalities. Of the 100 fatalities in 2019, about 46% were not wearing their seat belt (excludes those where seat belts do not apply including pedestrians, bicycles, motorcycles and off-highway vehicles), 42% were alcohol-related (includes both toxicology confirmed and officer suspected alcohol involvement), and 24% involved speed and/or aggressive driving. Motor vehicle crash fatalities in North Dakota can be reduced if every driver and vehicle occupant takes personal responsibility for their safety.

This includes wearing seat belts at all times, transporting children in child passenger safety (CPS) seats appropriate for the child's age, height and weight, not driving while distracted by cell phones or any other form of distraction, driving only when sober (i.e., not under the influence of alcohol and/or drugs), and obeying all posted speed limits.

1 Centers for Disease Control and Prevention 2 Human Factors of Highway Safety, Elizabeth Alicandri

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Vehicle Crashes, Fatalities & Injuries in North Dakota:

A Decade in Review (2010-2019)

There are more than 14,000 vehicle crashes in North Dakota each year resulting in fatalities, injuries and property damage.

The highest number of fatalities over this 10 year period occurred in 2012 (170), followed by a steady decrease in fatalities through 2016. In 2017, there was a 2.7% increase in fatalities; however, from 2018 to 2019 fatalities decreased by 4.8%.

/ 36,000+ YEAR

North Dakota Motor Vehicle Crashes, Fatalities and Injuries, 2010-2019

Year 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016 2017 2018 2019

Crashes 17,076 18,823 18,356 18,977 16,134 15,077 15,017 15,280 15,242 14,221

Fatalities 105 148 170 148 135 131 113 116 105 100

Injuries 4,687 5,018 5,311 5,365 5,278 4,917 4,614 4,432 4,230 4,258

North Dakota Motor Vehicle Fatalities 2010-2019

/ 100+ YEAR

In the United States (U.S.), more than 36,000 lives are lost to vehicle crashes each year compared to about 100 lives lost to crashes each year in North Dakota.

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However, with the exception of 2019, 2018 and 2016, North Dakota's fatality rate per 100 million vehicle miles traveled (VMT) is consistently higher than the national rate. VMT is a measure of crash exposure ? the more vehicle miles driven, the greater the exposure to the risk of a crash.

89,471

2010

2019

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, North Dakota's population increased by 89,471 people over the past 10 years.

North Dakota People, Drivers and Vehicles, 2010-2019

North Dakota vs. United States Motor Vehicle Fatalities and Vehicle

Fatality Rate, 2010-2019

Year 2010

ND Fatalities

105

ND Fatality Rate*

1.27

U.S. Fatalities

32,999

U.S. Fatality Rate*

1.11

2011 148 1.62 32,479 1.10

2012 170 1.69 33,782 1.14

2013 148 1.47 32,893 1.10

2014 135 1.28 32,744 1.08

2015 131 1.31 35,485 1.15

2016 113 1.16 37,461 1.19

2017 116 1.19 37,133 1.16

2018 105 1.06 36,560 1.13

2019 100 1.01 36,120** 1.10**

*Number of fatalities per 100 million vehicle miles traveled. **2019 figures are preliminary (NHTSA, May 2020).

Note: ND fatality rates were updated in 2018 to reflect NHTSA data which uses a slightly different VMT count.

North Dakota vs. United States Motor Vehicle Fatality Rate, 2010-2019

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2019 Vehicle Crashes, Fatalities & Injuries in North Dakota

In 2019, there were 100 individuals who lost their lives in motor vehicle crashes in North Dakota. Those who died ranged in age from 3 to 93. The majority (82%) were North Dakota residents.

Of the motor vehicle fatalities, 76 (76%) were in a passenger vehicle, 11 (11%) were motorcyclists, 5 (5%) were pedestrians, 6 (6%) were individuals on all-terrain vehicles (ATVs) and other miscellaneous vehicle types (such as snowmobiles, farm equipment and horse drawn wagons), 2 (2%) were bicyclists, and 1 (1%) involved a motor vehicle and a train.

Fatalities occurred in 35 (66%) of North Dakota's 53 counties.

0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11

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North Dakota Motor Vehicle Crashes, Fatalities and Injuries by County, 2019

Crash

County Crashes Fatalities Injuries Rate per

MVMT

Adams

20

0

11 0.71

Barnes 202

2

56 0.80

Benson 19

3

8 0.21

Billings 47

1

18 0.50

Bottineau 69

1

27 0.84

Bowman 20

0

7 0.45

Burke

34

0

8 0.55

Burleigh 2,624

5

691 3.67

Cass 3,748

9

1,084 2.18

Cavalier 40

0

9 0.66

Dickey

47

1

16 0.81

Divide

19

0

8 0.32

Dunn

141

1

59 0.79

Eddy

28

0

6 0.91

Emmons 39

0

14 0.69

Foster

19

0

7 0.38

Golden Valley

25

1

15 0.52

Grand Forks 1,393

6

426 2.24

Grant

10

0

2 0.27

Griggs

14

0

11 0.50

Hettinger 22

2

10 0.59

Kidder

53

1

19 0.42

Lamoure 35

0

13 0.57

Logan

16

0

5 0.61

McHenry 71

1

40 0.56

McIntosh 29

1

16 0.97

McKenzie 510

11

182 1.01

McLean 99

2

23 0.45

Mercer 83

1

26 0.81

Morton 661

6

181 1.49

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