Driving
Driving in the United States Risk Calculator
The average adult in the US drives about 14,000 miles per year. But driving carries real risks of fatality and serious injury.
This calculator estimates expected risk over a year, assuming 14,000 miles of driving, under different scenarios: time of day, seat-belt use, alcohol impairment, distraction, and speeding. It is based on national crash data.
Your Inputs
Choose your driving conditions below:
{"distance_miles":"14000"}
Driving at night increases risk because more crashes happen in fewer miles: [{"time_period":"Day","time_fatality_multiplier":"1.0","time_injury_multiplier":"1.0"},{"time_period":"Night","time_fatality_multiplier":"3.56","time_injury_multiplier":"1.47"}]
Wearing a seat belt greatly reduces the risk of death or serious injury: [{"belt_status":"Worn (car)","belt_fatality_multiplier":"1.0","belt_injury_multiplier":"1.0"},{"belt_status":"Not worn (car)","belt_fatality_multiplier":"1.82","belt_injury_multiplier":"2.0"},{"belt_status":"Worn (SUV\/van\/truck)","belt_fatality_multiplier":"1.0","belt_injury_multiplier":"1.0"},{"belt_status":"Not worn (SUV\/van\/truck)","belt_fatality_multiplier":"2.5","belt_injury_multiplier":"2.857"}]
How often does the driver drive after drinking too much (frequency of impaired driving): [{"alcohol_frequency_label":"Never","alcohol_frequency_share":"0"},{"alcohol_frequency_label":"A few times per year","alcohol_frequency_share":"0.001"},{"alcohol_frequency_label":"About once a month","alcohol_frequency_share":"0.005"},{"alcohol_frequency_label":"About once a week","alcohol_frequency_share":"0.02"},{"alcohol_frequency_label":"Several times a week","alcohol_frequency_share":"0.05"}]
How often does the driver interact with a phone (dialing/texting/etc.) while driving: [{"distraction_frequency_label":"None","distraction_frequency_share":"0"},{"distraction_frequency_label":"One interaction per trip","distraction_frequency_share":"0.005"},{"distraction_frequency_label":"Several interactions per trip","distraction_frequency_share":"0.02"},{"distraction_frequency_label":"Lots of interactions per trip","distraction_frequency_share":"0.05"}]
Higher speeds increase both crash likelihood and severity: [{"speeding_status":"At or below limit","speeding_multiplier":"1.0"},{"speeding_status":"Above limit","speeding_multiplier":"2.0"}]
Your Results
Your estimated chance of being in a police-reported crash is {{One_In_X|{result}}}.
Your estimated chance of being injured in a crash is {{One_In_X|{result}}}. Note: “Injuries” reflect police-reported injuries.
Your estimated chance of being in a fatal crash is {{One_In_X|{result}}}.
See the driving data page for all of the details on how these risks are calculated.
Generated by ChatGPT-5