864 CRASHES IN
ALABAMA
2017

The highest frequency of fatal crashes shifted from Saturday (172 incidents) in the prior year to Sunday (151 incidents) in the current year, though weekends remained the most common time for these events in both periods. The peak hour for fatal crashes was consistent, with the 8 p.m. hour being the most frequent in the current period (57 crashes) and tied for the most frequent in the prior period (56 crashes).

Fatal crashes in both periods predominantly occurred in clear weather and during daylight hours. However, the proportion of fatal crashes in adverse conditions shifted slightly year-over-year. The share of fatal crashes occurring in clear weather decreased from 75.4% (738 incidents) to 66.9% (578 incidents), while the share in rainy conditions increased from 6.8% (67 incidents) to 9.7% (84 incidents). Similarly, fatal crashes in darkness (lighted or unlighted) accounted for a larger share of incidents, rising from 46.4% in the prior year to 49.0% in the current year.

The makes of vehicles most frequently involved in fatal crashes remained consistent year-over-year, with Chevrolet (209 current vs. 232 prior), Ford (187 current vs. 224 prior), and Toyota (108 current vs. 106 prior) as the top three. The number of vehicles from the top makes involved in fatal crashes generally decreased. The age distribution of people involved also showed a similar pattern, with the 26-34 age group having the highest involvement in both periods (313 current vs. 392 prior), and counts decreasing across all major age brackets.

The majority of fatal crashes in both periods occurred in zones with posted speed limits of 55 mph and 45 mph. In the current period, 241 fatal crashes happened in 55 mph zones and 232 in 45 mph zones. This represents a decrease from the prior period, which saw 299 and 258 fatal crashes in those respective zones. The distribution of fatal crashes across different speed zones remained largely proportional between the two years, with incidents decreasing in nearly all categories.

Single-vehicle events, categorized as 'Not a Collision with Motor Vehicle In-Transport', were the dominant manner of collision in both periods. This category accounted for 560 fatal crashes (64.8%) in the current period, a decrease from 635 fatal crashes (64.9%) in the prior period. The second most common type, angle collisions, also decreased from 149 incidents to 126 incidents year-over-year.

Passenger cars and light trucks were the most common vehicle types involved in fatal crashes. In the current period, 4-door sedans were involved in 409 fatal crashes (up from 396) and light pickups were involved in 241 (compared to 226 standard pickups in the prior period). Involvement of vehicles in high-fatality categories decreased, with motorcycles dropping from 111 to 80 and truck-tractors (large trucks) decreasing from 90 to 73.

Fatal crashes on rural roadways outnumbered those on urban roads in both years, though the gap narrowed significantly. The number of fatal crashes in rural areas decreased from 715 to 522, while fatal crashes in urban areas increased from 264 to 342. As a result, the share of fatal crashes on rural roads fell from 73.0% in the prior period to 60.4% in the current period.

Arterial roadways were the site of the most fatal crashes in both periods. In the current year, 'Principal Arterial - Other' roads had 228 fatal crashes and 'Minor Arterial' roads had 206. This compares to 259 and 218 fatal crashes on the same road types in the prior year. Fatal crashes on Interstates also decreased from 135 to 111, showing a general decline across major road classifications.

Roadways owned by the State Highway Agency accounted for the largest number of fatal crashes in both years. There were 493 fatal crashes on state-owned roads in the current period, down from 569 in the prior period. Fatal crashes on roads owned by County Highway Agencies also decreased from 268 to 248, while those on city or municipal roads fell from 141 to 123.

Drivers were the most numerous person type involved in fatal crashes in both periods, though their numbers decreased from 1,411 to 1,249. The number of passengers involved also fell from 716 to 532. Notably, the number of pedestrians involved remained constant at 128 in both years, while the number of bicyclists involved in fatal crashes increased from 3 to 7.

The total number of fatalities resulting from these crashes decreased from 1,083 in the prior period to 948 in the current period. The number of individuals sustaining serious (A-level) injuries also declined from 293 to 245. Overall, 49.1% of all persons involved in these crashes in the current period were fatally injured, a slight increase in proportion from the 47.5% recorded in the prior year.

A significant number of occupants involved in fatal crashes were not using safety equipment. In the current period, 569 individuals were recorded as 'None Used / Not Applicable,' a decrease from 687 in the prior period. The number of occupants who used a shoulder and lap belt also decreased from 1,066 to 927, reflecting the overall reduction in people involved in fatal crashes.

Frontal impacts ('12 Clock Point') were the most frequent point of impact for vehicles involved in fatal crashes in both years. This impact location was recorded for 741 vehicles in the current period, representing 58.7% of all vehicles with a known impact point. This was a decrease from 818 vehicles (57.8%) in the prior period, maintaining a consistent share despite the lower overall count.

Single-vehicle incidents were the most common type of fatal crash. In the current period, 521 of the 864 fatal crashes (60.3%) involved only one vehicle, compared to 591 of 979 fatal crashes (60.4%) in the prior period. The number of two-vehicle fatal crashes also decreased from 329 to 275, indicating that the proportion of single- versus multi-vehicle fatal crashes remained stable year-over-year.