Meanwhile, in 2012, some 33,561 Americans died in motor vehicle accidents, but the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration calculates the accident rate based on number of miles, not driving hours or number of vehicles.
A comparison we can make is recreational boating. According to the United States Coast Guard, there were 651 deaths from recreational boating accidents in 2012. We can't easily compare the accident rate of the two because the Coast Guard calculates the rate per 100,000 registered vessels, not operational hours. Meanwhile, in 2012, some 33,561 Americans died in motor vehicle accidents, but the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration calculates the accident rate based on number of miles, not driving hours or number of vehicles.