Mapping Traffic Fatalities Across the Country

Nearly 370,000 people died in vehicle-related road accidents between January 2001 and December 2009. Every one of them is on this fascinating map. Using data from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, ITO mapped each fatality at its location. Also included is information on the age, gender and mode of transportation.

You can search for cities, and zoom in to see street-level information on fatalities. For example - in 2006 a 36-year-old male pedestrian was killed on the corner of West Flamingo Road and South Jones Boulevard in Las Vegas. Color coding of the data points indicate whether the fatality was a vehicle occupant (purple), pedestrian (blue), motorcyclist (yellow), cyclist (green), or other (black).

Seeing it all in one map is a bit jarring, and even more so when you consider that this is just eight years.

Below are embedded maps of the 10 most populous cities in the U.S., all at the same scale. From this vantage point there are some discrete differences in the types of fatalities city to city. New York – Manhattan especially – is dominated by blue pedestrian deaths, while Houston has a more significant proportion of vehicle occupants. You can even identify mobility patterns, such as in San Antonio, where the ring and spoke system of roads can be seen in the pattern of fatalities. (Click the "Key" button in each map to hide the key and get a better view.)

New York

Los Angeles

Chicago

Houston

Philadelphia

Phoenix

San Antonio

San Diego

Dallas

San Jose

Images and maps courtesy ITO.