State Variation in the Determinants of Motor Vehicle Fatalities

Abstract

Research on motor vehicle safety has involved virtually all modes of transportation. Most of these have been national in scope with relatively few studies focused on the determinants of motor vehicle fatalities at the state level. This paper investigates the determinants of motor vehicle fatalities across the states of California, Illinois, Louisiana, Pennsylvania, and Texas, which collectively account for 27% of U.S. motor vehicle fatalities in 2006. An important finding is that fatalities vary significantly by state even after controlling for commonly cited fatality determinants.