Austin Police Department
An Analysis of Traffic Fatalities
2016
Prepared by the Austin Police Department
Research and Planning Unit
June 2017
Traffic Fatalities 2016 Page 1
Contents
Background ................................................................................................................... 2
Overview ........................................................................................................................ 2
Terminology ................................................................................................................. 2
Notes about the Data ................................................................................................... 3
Sources ........................................................................................................................ 3
Notable 2016 Findings .................................................................................................. 4
Fatal Crashes Overall .................................................................................................... 5
Pedestrian Fatalities ................................................................................................... 12
Incident Characteristics .............................................................................................. 12
Contributing Factors ................................................................................................... 13
Person Characteristics ............................................................................................... 14
Motorcycle Fatalities ................................................................................................... 15
Incident Characteristics .............................................................................................. 15
Contributing Factors ................................................................................................... 16
Person Characteristics ............................................................................................... 17
Motor Vehicle Fatalities .............................................................................................. 19
Incident Characteristics .............................................................................................. 19
Contributing Factors ................................................................................................... 20
Person Characteristics ............................................................................................... 22
Bicycle Fatalities ......................................................................................................... 24
Map of 2016 Crash Locations ..................................................................................... 25
Traffic Fatalities 2016 Page 2
Background
This analysis was prepared to identify the characteristics of fatal crashes as well as of
those people identified as at fault in the crash. This helps recognize patterns and
factors leading to traffic fatalities. The primary audiences for this report are the Austin
Police Department, Austin Transportation Department, Vision Zero and other
organizations working with fatality data.
Overview
In 2016 there were a total of 77 traffic fatality crashes involving 79 fatalities.
FATALITY TYPE
# OF FATAL
CRASHES
# OF FATALITIES
Pedestrian
28
28
Motorcycle
13
13
Motor vehicle
34
36
Bicycle
2
2
TOTAL
77
79
Fatal Crashes Overall examines the characteristics of fatal crashes. When examining
the fatalities by type (pedestrian, motorcycle, motor vehicle), we looked at both crash
and person characteristics. The person characteristics are based on the person found
to be at fault in the fatal crash, not necessarily the person who died. There were four
incidents in which no one was determined as at fault.
Terminology
Prior involvement – Any contact with APD prior to the incident where the person had
any role either in a General Offense report or Street Check in APD’s records
management system.
Conviction – Any moving violation conviction showing on the driver’s license record.
Suspension – Any suspension showing on the driver’s license record which requires a
person to refrain from driving.
Death of Offender (DOO) – The person killed committed the violation which caused the
crash.
High-use Roadway – Also commonly referred to as “arterial streets”. They include non-
highway thoroughfares in Austin such as Lamar, Parmer, Congress, Manchaca, etc.
Contributing Factor – An action or condition which may have facilitated the crash.
FTYROW – Failure to yield right of way
Traffic Fatalities 2016 Page 3
FTMACD – Failure to maintain assured clear distance
FTSRA – Failure to stop and render aid
Notes about the Data
This report includes only those crashes investigated by APD. The data source is
APD’s record management system Versadex and is continuously being updated
due to on-going investigations. The report represents information as of May
2017 and may change.
Due to the long processing times for toxicology testing, suspected impairment
statistics are based on the initial assessment of the detectives and the Medical
Examiner.
If the information provided is used outside the department, please note that the
Austin Police Department cannot assume any liability for any decision(s) made or
action taken or not taken by the recipient in reliance upon any information or data
provided.
Sources
APD’s Fatality Database; Versadex, Computer-Aided Dispatch (CAD); City of Austin
Population History; TxDOT Crash Query Tool; National Highway Traffic Safety
Administration’s Fatality Analysis Reporting System (FARS) Encyclopedia.
Traffic Fatalities 2016 Page 4
Notable 2016 Findings
All Fatal Crashes
The majority of crashes occurred on local streets or highways (42% each).
Impairment was found in 57% of all fatal crashes.
More than two-thirds of crashes (68%) involved Death of Offender.
Twenty-nine percent of crashes involved criminal charges.
Pedestrian Fatal Crashes
Nearly half (46%) of fatal pedestrian crashes occurred between the hours of 6
PM and midnight.
Eighty-nine percent (89%) of fatal pedestrian crashes involved crossing when or
where prohibited or failing to yield to a vehicle.
More than half (54%) of fatal pedestrian crashes involved impairment.
Motorcycle Fatal Crashes
Over half (54%) of the crashes occurred on local streets.
Thirty-eight percent of crashes occurred on a Friday.
Most crashes (54%) involved impairment.
Nearly half (45%) of those at fault had either no valid driver’s license or no
motorcycle endorsement.
Motor Vehicle Fatal Crashes
Nearly half (47%) of motor vehicle crashes occurred on a highway.
More than half (59%) involved impairment.
Speeding was involved in just over half (53%) of crashes.
Twenty-two percent of those at fault had no valid license at the time of the crash.
Traffic Fatalities 2016 Page 5
Fatal Crashes Overall
In 2016 there were 79 traffic fatalities in Austin. The average number of fatalities per
year for the previous nine years was 67. Austin’s rate for 2016 was 8.3 traffic fatalities
per 100,000 people, down from 11.3 in 2015. According to the most recent data
available, the US rate was 10.3 in 2014.
Rate by City
In comparison to other major Texas cities, Austin had the lowest fatality rate for 2016.
60
59
62
49
55
78
75
63
102
79
0
20
40
60
80
100
120
2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016
Fatalities by Year
fatalities rate
14.7
13.0
11.1
10.0
9.5
8.3
0.0
5.0
10.0
15.0
20.0
Dallas San
Antonio
Houston Fort Worth El Paso Austin
2016 Fatality Rate
Traffic Fatalities 2016 Page 6
Fatality by Type
The average number of fatalities by type for 2007-2015 was fairly consistent with what
we saw in 2016.
Roadway Type
In 2016 the majority of crashes (42% each) occurred on local streets or highways. For
2007-2015 the majority occurred on highways (45%) and local streets were less than a
quarter (22%).
Bicycle
3%
Motorcycle
16%
Pedestrian
35%
Motor
Vehicle
46%
2016
Bicycle
2%
Motorcycle
19%
Pedestrian
30%
Motor
Vehicle
49%
2007 -2015
local
street
42%
high-use
roadway
17%
highways
42%
parking
lot
0%
2016
parking
1%
Traffic Fatalities 2016 Page 7
Location
Fifteen roads were identified as having the most fatal crashes for the years 2007-2016.
Time Period
The hours between 6 PM and 6 AM continued to have the most fatal crashes.
120
52
38
37
29
25
18
15
14
13 13
9 9
8 8
0
20
40
60
80
100
120
140
# of Crashes by Road
2007 - 2016
14
16
27
20
9
11
20
24
0
5
10
15
20
25
30
6am-noon noon-6pm 6pm-mid mid-6am
# of Crashes by Hour Range
2016
2007 -2015 avg
Traffic Fatalities 2016 Page 8
On average, Monday through Thursday had the lowest number of fatal crashes.
November was an unusually deadly month in 2016: Eight of the thirteen were fatal
pedestrian crashes.
2
10
15
7
17
11
15
8
7
7
7
9
12
12
0
2
4
6
8
10
12
14
16
18
mon tue wed thu fri sat sun
# of Crashes by Day
2016
2007 - 2015 avg
4
6 6
5
7
3
8
7
6
7
13
5
4
6
6
6
5
7
5
4
5
6
5
5
0
2
4
6
8
10
12
14
jan feb mar apr may jun jul aug sep oct nov dec
# of Crashes by Month
2016
2007 to 2015 avg
Traffic Fatalities 2016 Page 9
Impairment
Over half (57%) of 2016 fatal crashes involved impairment.
License Status
Eighteen crashes (23%) involved a driver with either a suspended or no license.
impaired/
suspected
impaired
57%
none/
unknown
40%
pending
3%
Impairment
okay/
unknown
77%
suspended
DL
10%
no DL
10%
no MC
license
3%
DL Status
Traffic Fatalities 2016 Page 10
Gender and Age
In 73 of the fatal crashes, someone was found to be at fault. In four crashes, no one
was found to be at fault.
The majority of those at fault were male.
Twenty-nine percent were between the ages of 26 and 35.
female
18%
male
82%
Gender
2
13
21
15
6
16
0
5
10
15
20
25
< 18 18 to 25 26 to 35 36 to 45 46 to 55 > 55
Age Range
Traffic Fatalities 2016 Page 11
Reasons for Crash
Most crashes have multiple contributing factors, as identified by the investigating
detective. Impairment, pedestrian FTYROW and speeding were the primary factors
contributing to most fatal crashes.
*other includes: unsafe backing, FTMACD, lost control, visibility, FTYROW, distraction and blow out
Charges
More than two-thirds (52 or 68%) involved Death of Offender (DOO). Twenty-two fatal
crashes (29%) involved criminal charges, including Class C citations.
52
10
7
4
3
1 1
0
10
20
30
40
50
60
DOO Class C
Citation
FTSRA Intoxication
Manslaughter
None Class A
Citation
Pending
Charges
impairment
38%
Ped FTYROW
to vehicle
21%
speeding
20%
ran red light/stop
sign
7%
other*
14%
Factors
Traffic Fatalities 2016 Page 12
Pedestrian Fatalities
There were 28 fatal pedestrian crashes involving 28 fatalities.
Incident Characteristics
Local streets and highways had ten crashes each (36%).
The majority of fatal pedestrian crashes (13 or 46%) occurred between 6 PM and
midnight.
local street
36%
highways
36%
high use
roadway
28%
Type of Roadway
3
6
13
6
0
2
4
6
8
10
12
14
6am-noon noon-6pm 6pm-mid mid-6am
Crashes by Hour Range
Traffic Fatalities 2016 Page 13
Contributing Factors
Eighty-nine percent of fatal pedestrian crashes involved a pedestrian crossing when or
where prohibited or failing to yield to a vehicle (FTYROW). Four of the deceased had
been given at least one prior citation or warning for pedestrian in the roadway.
Fifteen fatal pedestrian crashes (54%) involved impairment or suspected impairment.
crossing or on
highway or
svrd
32%
crossing mid
block
21%
crossing
against light
18%
ped FTYROW
to vehicle
18%
vehicle
FTYROW to
ped
7%
poor visibility
4%
Primary Factor
impaired/
suspected
impaired
54%
none
39%
unknown
7%
Impairment
Traffic Fatalities 2016 Page 14
Person Characteristics
Of the 28 fatal crashes, 26 people were determined to be at fault: Twenty-four were the
pedestrian themselves, two were drivers of vehicles. There were two incidents where
no fault was determined.
There were 11 pedestrians (42%) identified as transient and five (19%) considered
emotionally disturbed.
The majority (17 or 65%) of those at fault in fatal pedestrian crashes had prior APD
involvement.
yes
42%
no
58%
Transient
yes
19%
no
81%
Emotionally Disturbed
9
6
2
3 3 3
0
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
none 1 to 5 6 to 10 11 to 15 16 to 20 > 20
# of Prior Involvements
Traffic Fatalities 2016 Page 15
Ten of those at fault (38%) had been previously arrested at least twice.
Motorcycle Fatalities
There were 13 fatal crashes involving 13 motorcycle fatalities.
Incident Characteristics
Over half (54%) of fatal motorcycle crashes happened on local streets.
16
4
3 3
0
2
4
6
8
10
12
14
16
18
none 2 to 5 6 to 10 > 10
# of Prior Arrests
local street
54%
highways
38%
high use
roadway
8%
Type of Roadway
Traffic Fatalities 2016 Page 16
Fatal motorcycle crashes occurred most often on Fridays (38%).
Contributing Factors
Most motorcycle fatal crashes involved impairment (54%).
1
2
1
2
5
1 1
0
1
2
3
4
5
6
mon tue wed thu fri sat sun
# of Crashes by Day of Week
yes
54%
no
46%
Impairment
Traffic Fatalities 2016 Page 17
Factors contributing to fatal motorcycle crashes were primarily impairment and speed.
Person Characteristics
There were nine motorcyclists and four motor vehicle drivers at fault in the 13
motorcycle fatal crashes.
Over three-quarters (10 or 77%) of those at fault had prior APD involvement.
impairment
44%
speed
31%
FTYROW to
MC
13%
ran red light
6%
lost control
6%
Factors
3
6
2 2
0
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
none 1 to 5 6 to 10 > 10
# of Prior Involvement
Traffic Fatalities 2016 Page 18
Seven of the thirteen people at fault (54%) had at least one prior arrest with APD.
Nearly half (45%) of those at fault had either no valid driver’s license or no motorcycle
endorsement.
6
4
3
0
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
none 1 to 5 > 5
Prior Arrests
suspended
DL
15%
no MC license
15%
had DL
55%
no license
15%
DL Status
Traffic Fatalities 2016 Page 19
Seven people (54%) had at least one previous conviction and six (46%) had at least
one previous suspension. Previous convictions ranged from one to ten and one driver
had over 20 previous suspensions.
Motor Vehicle Fatalities
There were 34 fatal motor vehicle crashes involving 36 fatalities.
Incident Characteristics
Sixteen incidents (47%) each involved another motor vehicle or a fixed object. Two
incidents were rollover crashes.
7
66
7
0
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
previous conviction previous suspension
DL History
yes no
MV/MV
47%
MV/fixed
object
47%
MV/rollover
6%
Crash Type
Traffic Fatalities 2016 Page 20
Nearly half (47%) of fatal motor vehicle crashes occurred on highways.
Contributing Factors
The largest portion of fatal motor vehicle crashes involved impairment or suspected
impairment (59%). Four people (12%) who were impaired at the time of the fatal crash
had at least one prior DWI.
local street
41%
highways
47%
high use
roadway
12%
Type of Roadway
impaired/
suspected
59%
none
35%
pending
6%
Impairment
Traffic Fatalities 2016 Page 21
Speeding was involved in just over half (18 or 53%) of motor vehicle fatal crashes. Nine
were drivers who had as many as eleven previous speeding convictions.
Primary factors found to contribute to motor vehicle fatality crashes were impairment
and speed.
*other includes: possible falling asleep, distraction, FTMACD, unsafe backing and blow out.
yes/suspected
53%
no
41%
unknown/
pending
6%
Speeding
impairment
41%
speed
33%
ran red
light/stop sign
13%
FTYROW
4%
other*
9%
Factors
Traffic Fatalities 2016 Page 22
Person Characteristics
Of the 34 fatal motor vehicle crashes, 32 people were found to be at fault. No one was
found at fault in two crashes.
Over half (18 or 56%) of those at fault had prior involvement with APD.
The majority (20 or 63%) had no prior arrest with APD.
14
8
3
7
0
2
4
6
8
10
12
14
16
none 1 to 5 6 to 10 > 10
# of Prior Involvement
20
7
4
1
0
5
10
15
20
25
none 1 to 5 6 to 10 > 10
# of Prior Arrests
Traffic Fatalities 2016 Page 23
Twenty-two percent of those at fault had either no driver’s license or a suspended
driver’s license at the time of the fatal crash.
Sixteen of those at fault (50%) had a previous conviction on their driver’s license. Nine
people (28%) had a previous suspension, four of them with more than 10 suspensions.
\
okay
78%
suspended
9%
no DL
13%
MV DL Status
16
9
16
23
0
5
10
15
20
25
previous conviction previous suspension
DL History
yes no
Traffic Fatalities 2016 Page 24
Bicycle Fatalities
In 2016, like 2015, there were two fatal bicycle crashes involving two fatalities.
One occurred on a highway, one on a local street.
Both crashes involved Failure to Stop and Render Aid by the motor vehicle
driver.
One motor vehicle driver had a suspended license at the time of the crash.
Impairment was not a factor in either crash.
One victim was wearing a helmet, one was not.
local street
50%
other
highway
50%
Type of Roadway
Traffic Fatalities 2016 Page 25
Map of 2016 Crash Locations