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Light truck: SUVs, pickups and vans

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Light truck covers SUVs, pickups, vans and other light-truck types in the FARS auxiliary vehicle classification. It does not mean only a pickup or a vehicle used commercially. The national figures here count occupants killed in vehicles selected through those categories. In 2024, the United States recorded 12,038 light truck occupant deaths and 10,675 passenger car occupant deaths. These occupant death figures come from NHTSA's Fatality Analysis Reporting System. They describe deaths among the selected occupants, not every person killed in crashes involving their vehicles.[1][2][3][4][5][6][7][8]

Contents

Official definition and data selection

Appendix C of the FARS manual describes the official vPIC classification through eligible vehicle body classes and a gross vehicle weight rating of 10,000 pounds or less. That rating is distinct from the weight carried during a crash. The operational selection for this table uses the pickup, utility, van and other-light-truck categories in VEH_AUX A_BODY. Linked person records supply the death count: only drivers and passengers recorded as fatally injured qualify. Passenger cars remain a separate category, although both classes belong to the broader passenger vehicle grouping.[1][2][3][4][5][6][7][8]

National figures

The national figures cover the 50 states and District of Columbia, excluding Puerto Rico. In 2020, light truck occupant deaths numbered 11,286, compared with 12,628 passenger car occupant deaths. In 2021, the corresponding counts were 12,847 and 13,619. In 2022, light truck occupant deaths were 12,763 and passenger car occupant deaths were 12,737. In 2023, those counts were 12,189 and 11,828, respectively.[1][2][3][4][5][6][7][8]

The 2024 figures use the Annual Report File. Earlier years shown use saved FARS Final Files.[1][2][3][4][5][6][7][8]

National figures[1][2][3][4][5]
YearLight truck occupant deathsPassenger car occupant deaths
202011,28612,628
202112,84713,619
202212,76312,737
202312,18911,828
202412,03810,675

United States, 50 states and District of Columbia, excluding Puerto Rico. 2024 uses the Annual Report File; earlier FARS years use saved Final Files.

Limits of the term and figures

These occupant death counts are neither vehicle counts nor crash counts. Neither column includes motorcycle occupants or people outside vehicles, even when they died in a crash involving a selected vehicle. No population or travel denominator is supplied, so the figures do not establish a population rate or comparative risk.[1][2][3][4][5][6][7][8]

NHTSA identifies a classification boundary: vehicle analysis from 2020 onward uses manufacturer information obtained through vPIC. Those classifications are not comparable to the vehicle classifications used in 2019 and earlier years. The national illustration therefore needs to remain distinct from both the official vehicle definition and the person-record selection.[1][2][3][4][5][6][7][8]

On related publications

References

  1. abcdefg "Fatality Analysis Reporting System (FARS) 2020 national data files (Final File)". National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. Official source. Checked . Source record
  2. abcdefg "Fatality Analysis Reporting System (FARS) 2021 national data files (Final File)". National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. Official source. Checked . Source record
  3. abcdefg "Fatality Analysis Reporting System (FARS) 2022 national data files (Final File)". National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. Official source. Checked . Source record
  4. abcdefg "Fatality Analysis Reporting System (FARS) 2023 national data files (Final File)". National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. Official source. Checked . Source record
  5. abcdefg "Fatality Analysis Reporting System (FARS) 2024 national data files (Annual Report File)". National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. Official source. Checked . Source record
  6. abcdef "Fatality Analysis Reporting System Auxiliary Data Manual, 1982-2019 (DOT HS 813 071)". National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. Official source. Checked . Source record
  7. abcdef "Fatality Analysis Reporting System Analytical User's Manual, 1975-2024 (DOT HS 813 794)". National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. Official source. Checked . Source record
  8. abcdef "Overview of motor vehicle traffic crashes in 2024 (DOT HS 813 791, April 2026)". National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. Official source. Checked . Source record