The Governors Highway Safety Association (GHSA), in partnership with Ford Motor Company Fund, today released a new report that examines the significant role speeding plays in teen driver fatalities and offers practical tools to help parents rein in this lethal driving habit. The new analysis for GHSA found that from 2015 to 2019, teen drivers […]
Traffic Safety Groups Call on Biden Administration to Commit to Zero Roadway Deaths by 2050
The nation’s largest coalition of traffic safety organizations – Road to Zero – along with Toward Zero Deaths, Vision Zero Network, Families for Safe Streets and 74 partner organizations and individuals, sent a letter to President Joe Biden urging him to commit the efforts of the federal government to achieve zero roadway deaths by 2050. […]
U.S. Roadway Deaths Surge Over 13% in Third Quarter
The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) reported that 11,260 people were killed on U.S. roadways in the third quarter of 2020, a 13.1% increase compared to the third quarter of 2019. For the first nine months of 2020, 28,190 people died in crashes, a 4.6% increase from the year before. Traffic deaths rose even […]
2019 Fatality Data Show Continued Annual Decline in Traffic Deaths
Second quarter 2020 projections show reduced overall fatalities but confirms trend toward risky driving behaviors during coronavirus crisis. The U.S. Department of Transportation’s National Highway Traffic Safety Administration released a preview of 2019 data from the Fatality Analysis Reporting System and preliminary estimates for the first half of 2020. Alongside the release of the 2019 […]
NSC Estimates U.S. Saw a 20% Jump in Motor Vehicle Death Rates in First Six Months of 2020 Despite Quarantines
Preliminary estimates from the National Safety Council (NSC) based on the first six months of data from all 50 states tell an erratic story about the nation’s driving behaviors and the impact of COVID-19 on roadway safety. The U.S. experienced an estimated 20% jump in the death rate – an indicator of how safely drivers […]
Motor Vehicle Fatality Rates Rose 23.5% in May in the U.S. Despite Quarantines
Preliminary estimates from the National Safety Council based on May data from all 50 states indicate that for the third month in a row, road users in the U.S. were at a higher risk of dying from a motor vehicle crash. As reported in Injury Facts, the fatality rate per miles driven in May – […]
National Safety Council Projects Motor Vehicle Fatality Rates Jump 36.6% in April Despite Quarantines
For second straight month, preliminary estimates show emptier but riskier roads. Preliminary estimates based on April data from all 50 states indicate that for the second straight month, Americans did not reap any safety benefit from having less roadway traffic. In fact, the roads became even more lethal as miles driven plummeted. Preliminary estimates from […]
Motor Vehicle Fatality Rates Jump 14% in March Despite Quarantines
Preliminary estimates from the National Safety Council show that as Americans began driving less and covering fewer miles, the emptier roads became more lethal. Early data indicate a year-over-year 14% jump in fatality rates per miles driven in March, in spite of an 8% drop in the total number of roadway deaths compared to March […]
Fatal Crashes Involving Drivers Who Test Positive for Marijuana Doubled in Washington State Following Legalization
According to new research from the AAA Foundation for Traffic Safety, the share of drivers who, after a fatal crash, tested positive for active THC – the drug’s main psychoactive ingredient – has doubled since Washington State legalized marijuana in December 2012. AAA believes the increase raises important traffic safety concerns for drivers across the […]
U.S. Roadway Fatalities Decline for Second Straight Year
Newer, safer vehicles helped reduce fatalities as driving reached record levels. The U.S. Department of Transportation’s National Highway Traffic Safety Administration released highway crash fatality data for 2018, showing a 2.4 percent decline in overall fatalities, the second consecutive year of reduced crash fatalities. Under this Administration and Secretary Chao’s leadership, the USDOT has focused […]