60 CRASHES IN
ALASKA
2015

The timing of fatal crashes shifted between the two periods. In 2015, Saturday was the most frequent day for fatal crashes with 15 incidents, a change from 2014 when Wednesday was the peak day with 14 crashes. The peak hour also moved from the 6 p.m. evening slot in 2014 (7 crashes) to the mid-afternoon at 2 p.m. in 2015 (8 crashes).

The distribution of fatal crashes across lighting conditions remained broadly similar year-over-year, with daylight conditions accounting for roughly half of all incidents in both 2015 (31 crashes) and 2014 (33 crashes). In terms of weather, fatal crashes occurring in clear conditions increased from 30 in 2014 to 35 in 2015. Conversely, fatal crashes in rain and snow decreased from a combined 16 incidents in 2014 to 7 in 2015.

In 2015, Ford vehicles were involved in the most fatal crashes (18), taking the top spot from Chevrolet, which was most frequent in 2014 (18 vehicles). The age demographics of persons involved also shifted; the 35-44 age group saw an increase from 15 people involved in 2014 to 29 in 2015. Meanwhile, the number of people from the 26-34 and 45-54 age groups involved in fatal crashes decreased.

Roads with 55 mph speed limits saw the most fatal crashes in 2015, with 18 incidents, an increase from 16 in 2014. Fatal crashes on 45 mph roads decreased from 16 in 2014 to 11 in 2015. The number of fatal crashes in 65 mph zones saw a slight decrease from 10 to 9 year-over-year.

Single-vehicle crashes, categorized as "Not a Collision with Motor Vehicle In-Transport," were the predominant type of fatal incident in both periods, accounting for 41 crashes in 2015 and 42 in 2014. There was a notable decrease in fatal angle collisions, which dropped from 14 in 2014 to 6 in 2015. Fatal front-to-front collisions also decreased from 10 to 7 over the same period.

In 2015, standard pickups were the most common vehicle type involved in fatal crashes (19 vehicles), followed by motorcycles (11) and compact utility vehicles (10). This contrasts with 2014, when compact utility vehicles were most frequent (20), followed by standard pickups (19). The number of motorcycles involved in fatal crashes increased from 10 in 2014 to 11 in 2015.

There was a significant shift in the location of fatal crashes from rural to urban areas. In 2014, rural roads accounted for 37 fatal crashes compared to 31 on urban roads. In 2015, this pattern nearly inverted, with 30 fatal crashes occurring in urban areas and 29 in rural areas, marking a 21.6% decrease in rural fatal crashes.

Interstate highways saw an increase in fatal crashes, rising from 18 incidents in 2014 to 22 in 2015, making it the road class with the most fatal incidents. Fatal crashes on Principal Arterial roads remained constant at 13 in both years. There was a combined decrease in fatal crashes on collector and minor arterial roads, falling from 28 incidents in 2014 to 20 in 2015.

In 2015, roadways owned by the State Highway Agency were the site of the vast majority of fatal crashes, accounting for 48 incidents. City or Municipal Highway Agency roads saw 6 fatal crashes, and County Highway Agency roads saw 5. Data for the prior year was not available for comparison.

Drivers constituted the largest group of individuals involved in fatal crashes in both years, though their numbers decreased from 101 in 2014 to 88 in 2015. The number of passengers and pedestrians involved also saw slight declines. Notably, 3 bicyclists were involved in fatal crashes in 2014, whereas none were in 2015.

In 2015, 65 of the 158 people involved in fatal crashes were fatally injured (41.1%), a similar proportion to 2014 when 73 of 179 people were fatally injured (40.8%). The number of people sustaining serious injuries (A) in these crashes decreased from 24 in 2014 to 16 in 2015. The number of uninjured individuals (O) also decreased from 40 to 38.

The number of occupants reported as using no restraints decreased significantly, from 31 in 2014 to 18 in 2015. The use of shoulder and lap belts was the most frequently reported safety measure in both periods, though the count fell from 69 occupants in 2014 to 61 in 2015. For motorcyclists, the number reported as wearing no helmet decreased from 11 to 9.

Frontal impacts, recorded as "12 Clock Point," remained the most common point of impact in both years, though the number of vehicles with this impact type decreased from 52 in 2014 to 46 in 2015. "Non-Collision" events, which include rollovers, were the second most common category and remained stable with 9 incidents in both periods.

Single-vehicle fatal crashes remained the most common type, with an identical count of 41 incidents in both 2015 and 2014. However, there was a sharp decline in two-vehicle fatal crashes, which fell by 45.8% from 24 in 2014 to 13 in 2015. This shifted the proportion of single-vehicle incidents from 60.3% of all fatal crashes in 2014 to 68.3% in 2015.