NHTSA finds cars injure 841,000 a year--without crashing

Cars are dangerous, even if you aren’t riding in one.

That’s the conclusion of a new, landmark National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) report on non-traffic accidents involving cars (pdf). The Not-in-Traffic Surveillance (NiTS) 2007 study produced an overall an­nual estimate of 1,747 fatalities and 841,000 injuries in nontraffic crashes and noncrash incidents.

The report is one of the benefits of the Cameron Gulbransen Kids Transportation Safety Act of 2007. The Act required the establishment of a database of noncrash incidents, which the government hadn't previously tracked, and the development of a program to provide the public with safety information regarding nontraffic dangers to young children. The bill was strongly supported by Consumers Union, Kids and Cars, Public Citizen, and other safety organizations and advocates. The NiTS 2007 study puts official government numbers behind what was long seen as a real safety threat.

The Cameron Gulbransen Kids Transportation Safety Act became law in February 2008. It directs the U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT) to issue standards that will lead to safety technologies on all autos, including provisions for a rear-visibility standard, brake-shift precautions, and the evaluation of power window sensors.

NiTS 2007 study findings

More than half of the noncrash fatalities in the study occurred when a vehicle fell on a person who was under it or from unintentional carbon monoxide poisoning. About 20 percent of the noncrash injuries involved slamming fingers or other extremities in a car door or trunk, or resulted from overexertion when loading or unloading a vehicle or pushing a disabled vehicle. A significant 221 deaths, and 14,000 injuries resulted from pedestrians being backed over by a vehicle. (Learn about car blind spots and see our blind zone ratings.) Across all types of tragedies, about one-third of those injured and about half of those killed were not inside the vehicle at the time.

Other common hazards included vehicle fires, anti-freeze and battery-acid burns, and falling from a vehicle.

The information is gathered from police reports, death certificates, and hospital emergency-room records. Different aspects of the study span a range of years from 2003 through 2007.

Janette Fennell, president of KidsandCars.org, who teamed with CU in pressing for the legislation leading to the study said in a released statement, “The sheer magnitude of these numbers is stunning. Over 33 people die and 16,170 injures occur every week due to nontraffic incidents.”

Automobile safety starts at home, and clearly it involves more than responsible driving. By choosing the right car with modern safety equipment and good visibility, while developing safe practices both as an owner and driver, can help reduce the tragedies associated with motoring.

Learn more about car safety. Also, read "A new law helps make vehicles safer."

—Eric Evarts with Jeff Bartlett