The Fatality Analysis Reporting System (FARS) is a nationwide census of fatal motor vehicle crashes maintained by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) since 1975. This comprehensive database documents every traffic crash on public roadways in the United States that results in at least one fatality within 30 days of the incident, covering all 50 states, the District of Columbia, and Puerto Rico. With nearly five decades of historical data and over 100 coded variables per crash, FARS provides the most detailed and authoritative source of information on traffic fatalities in America.
Each crash record in FARS contains extensive detail about crash characteristics, environmental conditions, vehicle specifications, and people involved. Data elements include crash location and time, road conditions, weather, vehicle types and defects, driver behavior, alcohol involvement, restraint use, injury severity, and demographic information about drivers, passengers, and non-motorists. State FARS analysts gather this information from police accident reports, vehicle registration files, driver license records, death certificates, coroner reports, and emergency medical service documentation, ensuring comprehensive coverage through cooperative agreements between NHTSA and each state government.
Transportation safety researchers, policymakers, law enforcement agencies, and public health professionals rely on FARS data to identify traffic safety problems, evaluate the effectiveness of vehicle safety standards and highway programs, and develop evidence-based interventions to reduce roadway fatalities. The database enables analysis of crash trends by demographics, location, vehicle type, contributing factors, and time periods. Highway safety engineers use FARS to identify dangerous roadway segments, automotive manufacturers analyze crash patterns to improve vehicle design, and epidemiologists study the relationship between alcohol, speed, distraction, and fatal outcomes.
Updated annually with the previous year's complete data, FARS serves as the foundation for national traffic safety statistics and policy decisions aimed at reducing the approximately 40,000 annual motor vehicle fatalities in the United States. The system's standardized format and rigorous quality control procedures ensure data consistency across states and over time, making FARS an indispensable resource for understanding and preventing traffic deaths nationwide.