News and Information
Nebraska Vehicle Accidents Trends and Patterns
Recent Trends in Vehicle Accidents
- Both the number of vehicle accidents and number of fatal crashes in Nebraska have declined steadily over the last decade, with total accidents falling from a 1999 high of 48,217 to just 35,895 in 2007. The Nebraska Department of Roads attributes the decline to improvements in vehicle design, roadway engineering, emergency medical services, specific safety programs, enforcement and improved driver awareness.
- Over the last several years, the percentage of crashes involving passenger cars has decreased, while the percentage involving SUV’s has consistently climbed.
- The number of crashes which occur in highway work zones has been trending downwards over the last 10 years.
Traffic Crash Patterns
- While icy highways may seem like the driving conditions most likely to cause a crash, the statistics show that this isn’t true. In 2007, 70% of all crashes occurred on a dry road surface. This is likely due to drivers compensating for poor road conditions by driving more cautiously.
- Most crashes occurred on local roads – the interstate actually has the lowest crash rate of any roadway category.
- Interestingly, vehicle accidents show distinct patterns in time and date. Most crashes occur in the winter months, with crash rates from October through February significantly higher than the rest of the year. There is also a daily crash pattern, climbing from a low number of crashes in the early morning hours to a peak in the late afternoon.
- Fatal crashes occurred most commonly either during the late afternoon traffic peak or between midnight and 3am, when many alcohol-related crashes occur.
- Crashes were most common on Friday, and least common on Sunday.
- Unsurprisingly, young drivers are involved in disproportionately more crashes in Nebraska. Over half of the drivers involved in crashes in 2007 were under 34.
- Drivers in the youngest age bracket which was tracked, ages 15 to 24, had the highest percentage involvement of all age groups in both all crashes (32.1%) and fatal crashes (30.9%) during 2007.
Statistics from the State of Nebraska 2007 Traffic Crash Facts Annual Report.
