Where can I find pre-1975 traffic fatality statistics?
Answer
The NHTSA National Center for Statistics and Analysis (NCSA) provides highway fatality data for BTS publication National Transportation Statistics, Section 2 C.
NHTSA (National Highway Traffic Safety Administration) did not start collecting highway data on fatal highway crashes until 1975. The data prior to that was collected by National Center for Health Statistics, going back to 1938.
To access this data is through the NCHS publication Vital Statistics of the United States, click here (see VOLUME II-MORTALITY PART A for each year). Note that at least some of this data is also compiled in the Census Bureau’s Statistical Abstract. For example, see the 1976 edition, Table 1004 (p. 600) at this site.
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