PROGRAMAS DE ACTUACIÓN

An analysis of crash trends over the five-year period is summarized in Table 39. The crashes in 2012 were compared to an average of the preceding four years (2008-2011). There was a slight decrease in total crashes (1.1 percent) when comparing 2012 to the previous four years. It should be noted that crashes in parking lots were not included in the analysis.

The highest number of crashes on public roads occurred in 2011 (127,524) with the lowest number occurring in 2008 (123,530). The number of fatal crashes decreased by 2.5 percent in 2012 compared to the previous four years while the number of fatalities decreased by 3.7 percent. The number of fatalities ranged from 670 in 2011 to 752 in 2008. The number of fatalities in 2005 was the highest in about 30 years but has decreased every year since until an increase in 2012. The number of injury crashes and injuries in 2012 was lower than the previous four-year average. There was a 3.1 percent decrease in injury crashes and a 3.6 percent decrease in injuries. The number of injuries varied from 35,765 in 2012 to 37,941 in 2008.

Vehicle-miles traveled have remained fairly constant over the five-year period ranging from 47.176 billion miles in 2008 to 48.185 billion miles in 2011. The vehicle miles traveled in 2012 has decreased slightly (0.9 percent) compared to the previous four-year average. There was a very slight decrease in total crash rate in 2012 of 0.3 percent when compared to the previous four-year average. The total crash rate varied from a low of 262 C/100 MVM in 2008 to 267 C/100 MVM in 2009. The total crash rate has stayed very constant.

There were decreases in 2012 in the fatal crash rate (1.4 percent) and fatality rate (3.1 percent) compared to the average of the previous four years. The fatal crash rate in 2011 was the lowest rate in this five-year period with the highest in 2008.

There was a total of 629,591 crashes in the five-year period, of which 3,540 (0.6 percent) were fatal crashes and 123,458 (19.6 percent) were injury crashes. Those crashes

resulted in 3,844 fatalities and 184,195 injuries. There is a large range used when estimating crash costs. Considering economic costs, an estimate for 2012 is $2.1 billion for the cost of Kentucky traffic crashes (on public roads) or an average cost of about $16,800 per crash using National Safety Council estimates of motor vehicle crash cost. Similarly the comprehensive costs result in an estimate of $5.7 billion for the cost of Kentucky traffic crashes or an average cost of $45,300 per crash.

Trends in the number of specific types of crashes also are presented in Table 39. Those trends are discussed in the appropriate section dealing with that crash category. Additional general statistics compiled by county for crashes involving pedestrians, bicycles, motorcycles, school buses, and trucks are included in Table 40. Numbers of crashes and average annual crashes per 10,000 population are included.

10.2 PEDESTRIAN CRASHES

The number of pedestrian crashes increased 5.6 percent in 2012 compared to the previous four year period. There had been a steady decrease in pedestrian crashes from 2000 to 2007 before an increase starting in 2008. Pedestrian collisions are a severe type of crash. In 2012, pedestrian crashes accounted for only 0.9 percent of all crashes but 3.6 percent of injury crashes and 7.1 percent of fatal crashes. The number of injury crashes increased by 5.5 percent in 2012 compared to the previous four-year average while the number of fatal crashes in 2012 was identical to the previous four-year average. Injury crashes ranged from 769 in 2009 to 860 in 2012 while fatal crashes ranged from 39 in 2009 to 64 in 2008.

A summary of pedestrian crash statistics by county and population category is presented in Table 41. Numbers of crashes and annual crash rates per 10,000 population are included. From the listing of crash rates in descending order, the following counties have the highest rates in each population category: Wolfe, Breathitt, Mason, Boyd, and Jefferson. A similar analysis was performed for pedestrian crashes by city and population category. Results are summarized in Table 42 and the following cities have the highest rates in their respective population categories: Louisville, Covington, Newport, Highland Heights, and Hazard. Newport had the highest rate of any city.

10.3 BICYCLE CRASHES

Numbers and rates of motor-vehicle crashes involving bicycles by county are listed in Table 43. Counties were grouped by population category. The counties having the highest crash rate in each category are Gallatin, Trigg, Rowan, Henderson, and Fayette. A similar summary was prepared for cities and the results are presented in Table 44. Cities having the highest rate of bicycle-related crashes in each population category are Lexington, Covington, Newport, Morehead, and Lakeside Park.

The number of bicycle crashes decreased in 2012 (6.8 percent) compared to the average of 2008 through 2011. The number of bicycle crashes has ranged from 428 in 2009 and 2012 to 489 in 2008. This is a severe type of crash. For the five years, while bicycle crashes accounted for 0.3 percent of all crashes, they accounted for 1.2 percent of injury crashes and 0.8

percent of fatal crashes. The number of injury crashes decreased by 8.4 percent in 2012 and the number of fatal crashes increased by 20.0 percent compared to the 2008 through 2011 average. The range in injury crashes was from 290 in 2009 to 353 in 2008 while the number of fatal crashes ranged from two in 2011 to seven in 2010.

10.4 MOTORCYCLE CRASHES

County and city statistics for crashes involving motorcycles are presented in Tables 45 and 46, respectively. For each population category, counties having the highest rates for motorcycle crashes per 10,000 population are Wolfe, Pendleton, Union, Graves, and McCracken (Table 45). The highest rate is in Wolfe County with the largest number in Jefferson County. From Table 46, those cities having the highest rates in each population category are Louisville, Paducah, Shepherdsville, Pikeville, and Hazard. The rates in Pikeville, Hazard, London, and Prestonsburg were substantially above any other city.

There was a decrease in motorcycle crashes in 2012 (0.1 percent) compared to the 2008 through 2011 average. The numbers over the five-year period ranged from a high of 2,159 in 2008 to a low of 1,839 in 2011. This is a severe type of crash. Data in 2012 show that motorcycle crashes accounted for 1.6 percent of all crashes but 6.2 percent of injury crashes and 13.4 percent of fatal crashes. The number of injury crashes increased by 18.1 percent and the number of fatal crashes increased by 8.1 percent in 2012 compared to the 2008 through 2011 average. The number of injury crashes ranged from 1,145 in 2011 to 1,490 in 2012 while the number of fatal crashes ranged from 71 in 2011 to 96 in 2008.