Car Safety Statistics and Facts
Updated · Feb 02, 2025
Table of Contents
Introduction
Car Safety Statistics: Road safety in 2024 continued to be a significant global challenge, as highlighted by statistics from various regions that indicate areas still requiring improvement. Car safety features include protective measures against whiplash, as well as assistance systems designed to enhance passenger protection and prevent accidents. Passive safety measures aim to reduce injuries in the event of a collision.
Examples include seat belts, airbags, crumple zones, and child safety seats. In contrast, active safety features—such as anti-lock braking systems, electronic stability control, collision warning systems, and blind spot monitoring—focus on providing drivers with greater control and awareness to navigate the roads more safely. This article will discuss car safety statistics and their implications.
Editor’s Choice
- The global automotive safety system market was valued at USD 93.28 billion in 2021 and is projected to reach USD 127.2 billion by 2027.
- In 2022, California reported 150 crashes involving autonomous vehicles over approximately 5.7 million miles of driving, resulting in a crash rate of 96.7 per 1,000 vehicles.
- The crash rate for ordinary vehicles in California in the same year was 7.0 per 1,000 vehicles.
- The average cost of one traffic fatality in the U.S. is approximately USD 1.869 million in economic expenses.
- In 2022, car crashes incurred an economic cost of over USD 79 billion across the U.S.
- Non-fatal disabling injuries average a cost of about USD 162,000, while minor injuries average about USD 42,000.
- Autonomous vehicles like those from Waymo report an average crash rate of one every 1.26 million miles.
- Autonomous vehicles could potentially reduce crashes by about 81% and save 1.25 million lives by 2035.
- Tesla’s Autopilot system has contributed to a reduction of nearly 40% in accidents.
- In India, 91% of consumers want cars to undergo crash testing and be rated for safety, and 47.6% prioritize safety features over other features.
Global Automotive Safety System Market
(Reference: statista.com)
- Car safety statistics state that during the period 2021-2027, the automotive safety systems market is expected to show high growth.
- The market size was valued at $93.28 billion in 2021, and estimates suggest it will rise to $127.2 billion by 2027.
- Increased consumer demand for safety features in vehicles around the world arises due to tougher regulations, developing technologies, and enhancing awareness of road safety.
Autonomous Vehicle Safety
(Source: statista.com)
- Assisted driving, which helps the driver steer or brake in some circumstances, has, for decades now, been incorporated into the standard equipment of most newly manufactured vehicles.
- Meanwhile, fully autonomous driving is still not seen as being ready for mainstream availability, although steady progress is being made in the development and deployment of robotaxis in a few cities in China and the U.S.
- This became a prominent issue in 2023 when the autonomous vehicle arm of General Motors, Cruise, was stripped of its driverless testing permits in San Francisco due to an accident involving a pedestrian.
- The assessment of autonomous vehicle safety is often based on their crash or collision comparison with regular passenger cars. In 2022, California had 1,552 autonomous vehicles registered for testing purposes, driving a total of 5.7 million miles.
- Car safety statistics reported to the California Department of Motor Vehicles (DMV) that there were 150 accidents involving these vehicles throughout the year.
- The crash rate thus calculated is 96.7 per 1,000 vehicles and 26.3 per million vehicle miles.
- In contrast, the Department of Transportation and California Highway Patrol data calculate that the general crash rate in California is 7.0 per 1,000 vehicles and 0.7 per million miles.
- Expanding the view to national accident figures for all motor vehicles in the U.S. gives accident rates of 20.9 per 1,000 vehicles and 1.9 per million road miles.
Car Crashes Economic Cost
(Reference: consumeraffairs.com)
- The National Safety Council says the average cost following a car crash fatality in the United States is $1.869 million.
- Car safety statistics reveal that it includes direct costs such as medical expenses and repair of the vehicle and also has indirect costs such as administrative expenditures and the loss of wages and productivity.
- Financially, the car crash fatalities, which stood at 42,406, accrued in excess of $79 billion in costs to the U.S. The costs associated with accidents, whether fatal or not, are huge.
- A disabling car crash injury that is not fatal can cost around $162,000, while an evident injury costs upwards of $42,000.
Self-Driving Car Safety
- Car safety statistics indicate an impending paradigm shift toward increased automation in transportation, with semi-autonomous technology nearly present in 50% of commercial motor vehicle sales by 2030.
- In America, human drivers encounter a crash after every 484,000 miles driven, while Waymo’s self-driving cars encounter one about every 1.26 million miles.
- It is predicted that autonomous vehicles will contribute savings of approximately $447 billion by the year 2050, mainly from decreasing emergency service spending.
- Disconnection incidents on Waymo’s self-driving cars were recorded at an impressive average of 0.036 disconnections per 1,000 miles in 2020.
- Additionally, incidents of disconnection during self-driving vehicle testing in California dropped by 20% from 2019 to 2020, an encouraging signal of further improvements in autonomous driving technology.
- While public opinion is split, with 50% of customers feeling that autonomous vehicles increase road safety, 73% of Americans fear riding in a self-driving car.
- The impact of autonomous vehicles on road safety is absolutely profound. Their introduction in the US could lead to a potential reduction in vehicle crashes by 81%.
- By 2035, Car safety statistics expect that self-driving technology will have prevented about 1.25 million traffic fatalities.
- Tesla states its Autopilot system reduces crashes by 40% when compared to more traditional, non-autonomous cars.
- Waymo, meanwhile, reports an accident rate of 0.59 accidents per million miles for its autonomous vehicles, far from the US average of 2.98 accidents.
- These car safety statistics suggest a promising future for autonomous driving in advancing road safety and reducing road fatalities.
Consumer Preferences In Car Safety
- A vast majority of 91% of customers in India expect crash tests and safety ratings to be done for vehicles.
- For 47.6% of customers, safety is paramount and takes precedence over all other features of a car.
- The most crucial factor considered regarding purchasing a car is crash ratings, with fuel efficiency ranking as the second most important.
- Car safety statistics show that 91% of customers believe that any incentive for cars that include safety features will prove highly effective.
- Nevertheless, only 30% of customers know that separate ratings exist for a child or rear occupants regarding safety.
- Among car buyers, a 5-star crash rating is favoured most, with 22.2% of customers preferring it.
- In comparison, 21.3% prefer a 4-star rating, while a zero rating is the most unpopular option, with merely 6.8% approving of it.
- A crash rating of 22.3% is important, and other important factors are the number of airbags at 21.6 % and fuel efficiency at 15.0%.
- While 76% of customers know there are two categories to qualify for the 5-star safety rating for crash tests, only 30% call out the correct one for child and rear occupant safety.
Car Safety Measures
- With the emergence of state-of-the-art technologies, safety has become a very vibrant aspect of today’s self-driving domain.
- Sensors form the base of these technologies, whereby LiDAR (Light Detection and Ranging) enables the measurement of distance with great accuracy, radar uses radio frequency waves to gauge speed and position, and cameras acquire visual data to identify objects, road markings, and traffic signs.
- GPS and mapping improve the navigation process whereby accurate location data is received through the Global Positioning System, and high-definition maps offer very detailed road layout information for the autonomous car to properly plan a route.
- Machine learning and AI algorithms continuously re-evaluate their decision-making based on what they learn from real-world examples and new driving conditions.
- The systems designed for redundancy ensure reliability through the incorporation of duplicate sensors and control panels; if one fails, the other will step in to take charge.
- Vehicle-to-vehicle-to-everything communication allows for the exchange of information between cars and their surrounding infrastructures to optimise traffic flow and safety.
- The emergency response functions equip self-driving cars to spot emergency situations and react to them with minimum risk.
- Cybersecurity is very crucial to defend against hackers and unwanted users to keep the security of those autonomous vehicles.
- Driver engagement monitoring systems keep an eye on a human driver’s levels of concentration, intervening when necessary.
- Obeying traffic regulations ensures the smooth operation of the other vehicles on the road. The fail-safe implemented provides alternative methods of action in case of critical system failures, thereby guiding the car to safety.
Conclusion
Car safety statistics state that the car safety landscape is changing due to technological advancements and a growing consciousness of vehicle safety features. The global car safety market is anticipated to expand significantly due to substantial investments in both passive and active safety technologies. There are regional variations in traffic-related fatalities and injuries, but global endeavours are continuing to enhance road safety.
While the adoption of seatbelts and side airbags is seen to be progressing, challenges remain, especially with the localisation of self-driving vehicles. Ultimately, the fight for safety on the roads and in vehicles calls for an all-inclusive approach of innovation, regulation, and public awareness.
FAQ.
The global automotive safety system market, which was estimated at $93.28 billion in 2021, is projected to reach $127.2 billion by 2027, primarily driven by increasing demand for advanced safety features for vehicles, more stringent regulatory requirements, and rapid technological advancements.
Autonomous vehicles in California, in 2022, had a crash rate of 96.7 per 1,000 vehicles as against conventional vehicles, which had a crash rate of 7.0 per 1,000 vehicles. It is important to note that autonomous vehicles are still works in progress as they become better and safer with advancing technology.
Car crashes cause one fatality in the U.S., costing an average of $1.869 million. In 2022, the total economic cost of car crashes in the U.S. was over $79 billion. Nonfatal disabling injuries cost an average of $162,000 each, while less serious injuries generally cost $42,000.
Self-driving vehicles are much less likely to be involved in an accident than human-driven cars, with an average rate of one accident per 1.26 million miles of travel. It is estimated that self-driving cars could result in an 81 % reduction in vehicle collisions and save 1.25 million traffic crash fatalities by 2035.
91% of customers in India want cars to be subjected to crash testing and safety ratings, while 47.6 % give the top priority to safety features over all other features of a car. Crash ratings are indeed quite a leading factor in car selection, followed by fuel economy. However, only 30% of the customers were aware that there are safety ratings accredited for child and their rear-seat occupants separately.
Joseph D'Souza founded Smartphone Thoughts in 2003 as a personal project to share his insights and experiences with tech gadgets. Over time, it has grown into a well-regarded tech blog, known for its in-depth smartphone reviews and app-related statistics. Joseph is dedicated to providing detailed, well-researched content, including statistics, facts, charts, and graphs, all verified by experts. His goal is to make technological innovations and scientific discoveries easy to understand for everyone. Smartphone Thoughts is now a top source for tech news, appreciated by both tech enthusiasts and beginners.
