Research Reports

This research analyzed vehicle crashes in Pennsylvania to determine if there are any differences in the number or severity of crashes between rural and urban Pennsylvania. According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), a disproportionate number of traffic fatalities in relation to the population occur in rural areas in Pennsylvania and nationwide (2013). Improving truck safety is especially critical in the rural areas of Pennsylvania that have seen crashes increase due to the presence of Marcellus Shale drilling activities. The research indicates that: In both rural and urban areas, the highest percentage of crashes with injury or fatality occurs on state highways, followed by local roads or streets; in both areas, males are two times more likely than females to be in a crash with a fatality; drugs and/or alcohol were not suspected in the majority of fatal crashes; the largest percentages of injury and fatal crashes occur during daylight hours in both rural and urban areas, and crash areas that are more than 31 minutes from a trauma center have more than two times the percent of fatalities as those within 15 minutes.