69 CRASHES IN
ALASKA
2018

The timing of fatal crashes shifted between the two periods. In 2018, the peak day for fatal crashes was Tuesday with 14 incidents, and the peak hour was 5 p.m. with 7 incidents. This contrasts with 2017, which saw a peak on Saturday (18 fatal crashes) and at the 12 a.m. hour (8 fatal crashes), indicating a shift from a weekend, late-night pattern to a weekday, evening commute pattern.

The conditions under which fatal crashes occurred remained largely consistent year-over-year. In both 2018 and 2017, clear and cloudy weather conditions accounted for the vast majority of incidents, with 55 and 59 fatal crashes respectively. Similarly, the distribution by lighting conditions was stable, with daylight crashes being most frequent (32 in 2018 vs. 31 in 2017), followed by crashes in dark, unlighted conditions (21 in 2018 vs. 19 in 2017).

Ford was the most common vehicle make involved in fatal crashes in both years, with 18 vehicles each year. The involvement of Harley-Davidson motorcycles saw a substantial increase, from 2 vehicles in 2017 to 8 in 2018. The demographics of persons involved also shifted; involvement of the 55-64 age group grew from 20 to 30 individuals, while the 26-34 age group's involvement decreased from 37 to 29 individuals.

Fatal crashes in 2018 were most common in 45 mph zones (14 crashes), 55 mph zones (13 crashes), and 65 mph zones (13 crashes). This represents a shift from 2017, when the highest speed zones saw more incidents, led by 65 mph zones (18 crashes) and 55 mph zones (16 crashes). The data indicates a slight downward shift in the speed zones where fatal crashes occurred.

In both periods, the dominant manner of collision was 'Not a Collision with Motor Vehicle In-Transport,' which includes single-vehicle crashes and collisions with pedestrians. This category accounted for 45 fatal crashes (65.2%) in 2018, a decrease from 51 fatal crashes (68%) in 2017. Angle collisions were the second most common type, holding steady with 13 incidents in both years.

In 2018, Light Pickups were the most common vehicle type in fatal crashes with 22 involved, an increase from 18 in 2017. The most notable change was the involvement of Two Wheel Motorcycles, which nearly tripled from 5 vehicles in 2017 to 14 in 2018. Conversely, the involvement of 4-door sedans decreased significantly from 26 to 15 vehicles.

A significant shift occurred in the location of fatal crashes, with urban incidents increasing from 31 in 2017 to 38 in 2018. Correspondingly, fatal crashes on rural roads decreased from 43 to 31. Despite this change, rural roads still accounted for 45% of all fatal crashes in 2018, a disproportionately high share relative to traffic volume.

Interstates and other Principal Arterials were the site of most fatal crashes in both years, accounting for a combined 41 incidents in 2018, down slightly from 43 in 2017. Fatal crashes on Interstates decreased from 26 to 22 year-over-year, while incidents on Principal Arterials increased from 17 to 19. Crashes on collector roads also increased, from 8 to 15.

Roadways owned by the State Highway Agency were the location for the majority of fatal crashes, though the count decreased from 65 in 2017 to 56 in 2018. In contrast, fatal crashes on roadways owned by County Highway Agencies increased from 5 to 8. State-owned roads accounted for 81% of all fatal crashes in 2018.

The roles of individuals involved in fatal crashes remained consistent. Drivers were the largest group, with 104 involved in 2018 compared to 103 in 2017. The number of passengers involved decreased from 68 to 60, while the number of pedestrians involved was stable at 14 in 2018 versus 15 in the prior year.

The number of fatalities resulting from crashes was nearly unchanged, with 80 deaths in 2018 compared to 79 in 2017. However, there was a notable decrease in non-fatal injuries, which fell from 69 to 54. This was driven by a 54% reduction in minor injuries, which dropped from 26 in 2017 to 12 in 2018.

Reported use of shoulder and lap belts by occupants in fatal crashes declined from 92 individuals in 2017 to 76 in 2018. Among motorcyclists, the number recorded as not wearing a helmet increased from 11 to 16. The number of people recorded with 'None Used / Not Applicable' was stable at 30 in 2018 versus 31 in 2017.

Frontal impacts ('12 Clock Point') were the most common point of impact on vehicles involved in fatal crashes, increasing from 49 vehicles in 2017 to 54 in 2018. Non-collision events, such as rollovers, were the second most frequent category in 2018, rising to 12 events from 9 in the previous year.

Single-vehicle fatal crashes remained the most common type but decreased from 50 incidents in 2017 to 41 in 2018. As a result, their share of all fatal crashes fell from 67% to 59%. The number of two-vehicle fatal crashes held steady at 22 in both years.