2007 Benchmarking Report - Alliance for Biking & Walking

States
Bike fatalities
WISQARS
Bike
fatalities
FARS
Bike fatalities
statereported
Difference:
WISQARS
- FARS (bike)
Difference:
state -reported
- FARS
Ped
fatalities
WISQARS
Ped
fatalities
FARS
Ped fatalities
statereported
Difference:
WISQARS -
FARS (ped)
Difference:
state-reported
- FARS
New Mexico 6.00 4.00 5.67 2.00 1.67 64.33 56.00 55.67 8.33 -0.33
New York 44.33 41.33 121.00 3.00 79.67 414.33 324.00 324.00 90.33 0.00
North Carolina 26.67 27.00 * -0.33 * 203.33 159.33 56.67 44.00 -102.66
North Dakota 0.99 1.33 1.33 -0.34 0.00 9.33 7.00 7.00 2.33 0.00
Ohio 18.33 13.33 14.00 5.00 0.67 138.67 96.00 108.00 42.67 12.00
Oklahoma 3.66 5.33 5.33 -1.67 0.00 65.00 45.67 46.67 19.33 1.00
Oregon 13.34 9.33 3.00 4.01 -6.33 67.33 45.67 16.00 21.66 -29.67
Pennsylvania 20.01 17.33 5.67 2.68 -11.66 215.33 159.67 53.33 55.66 -106.34
Rhode Island 0.33 0.67 0.67 -0.34 0.00 13.33 11.33 11.67 2.00 0.34
South Carolina 15.00 16.67 17.33 -1.67 0.66 104.00 88.00 100.00 16.00 12.00
South Dakota 1.33 0.67 0.67 0.66 0.00 13.33 11.00 11.33 2.33 0.33
Tennessee 7.00 7.00 6.00 0.00 -1.00 103.34 83.00 72.00 20.34 -11.00
Texas 60.67 49.67 42.00 11.00 -7.67 528.00 422.33 140.67 105.67 -281.66
Utah 5.67 3.67 6.67 2.00 3.00 39.33 24.33 35.33 15.00 11.00
Vermont 2.34 0.67 0.67 1.67 0.00 7.99 5.67 6.00 2.32 0.33
Virginia 12.33 13.33 ** -1.00 * 119.33 86.33 ** 33.00 *
Washington 13.33 10.00 10.00 3.33 0.00 95.00 68.67 69.00 26.33 0.33
West Virginia 2.33 2.33 * 0.00 * 35.34 23.67 * 11.67 *
Wisconsin 12.33 13.33 12.00 -1.00 -1.33 69.67 50.67 * 19.00 *
Wyoming 1.00 1.00 0.67 0.00 -0.33 8.33 5.67 2.67 2.66 -3.00
Bicycle and Pedestrian Fatality Data: WISQARS, FARS & State-Reported
This table highlights the variation in bicycle and pedestrian fatality data from the Web-based Injury Statistics Query and Reporting System
(WISQARS), the Fatality Analysis Reporting System (FARS), and state-reported numbers from Thunderhead’s State Surveys. These data reveal
enormous discrepancies in fatality data among all three data sets. This could be explained partly through the different approach to data collection.
WISQARS is maintained by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and surveys death records and emergency room visits.
FARS is a federal database maintained by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) and collects data from governments
on vehicle injuries and fatalities. Although significant differences are seen in bicycle fatality reporting (see WISQARS & FARS data for Arizona
and Arkansas) an even greater variation is found in pedestrian fatality data (see data for New York and Texas). Because these data are crucial
to improving the safety of bicycling and walking and evaluating results of efforts to do so, Thunderhead highly recommends that the CDC and
NHTSA work towards standardizing the reporting of fatalities among government agencies.
APPENDIX 4: DATA DISCREPANCIES
Bicycling & Walking in the U.S./ Thunderhead Alliance 2007
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