Traffic Accident Deaths Still Up

Traffic accident deaths in the U.S. continue to rise, even while deaths related to distracted driving decline. The number of vehicle miles traveled on U.S. roads in 2016 increased by 2.2 percent, producing a fatality rate of 1.18 deaths per 100 million vehicle miles traveled (VMT) – a 2.6-percent increase from the previous year, according to the latest overview and analysis from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.

There were 37,461 lives lost on U.S. roads in 2016, an increase of 5.6 percent from calendar year 2015, according to NHTSA data, which was collected from all 50 states and the District of Columbia.

The 5.6-percent increase from 2015 to 2016 is down from the 8.4-percent increase from 2014 to 2015.

NHTSA found that distracted driving and drowsy driving fatalities declined, while deaths related to other reckless behaviors – including speeding, alcohol impairment, and not wearing seat belts – continued to increase. The number of fatalities in distraction affected crashes decreased by 2.2 percent from 3,526 in 2015 to 3,450 in 2016. Fatalities in distraction affected crashes were 9.2 percent of total fatalities in 2016.

The number of fatalities involving a drowsy driver decreased by 3.5 percent from 832 in 2015 to 803 in 2016. Fatalities involving a drowsy driver were 2.1 percent of total fatalities in 2016.

Motorcyclist and pedestrian deaths accounted for more than a third of the year-to-year increase. There were 11.5 times as many unhelmeted motorcyclist fatalities in states without universal helmet laws (1,923 unhelmeted fatalities) as in states with universal helmet laws (166 unhelmeted fatalities) in 2016.

The 2016 national data shows that:

• Distraction-related deaths (3,450 fatalities) decreased by 2.2 percent;
• Drowsy-driving deaths (803 fatalities) decreased by 3.5 percent;
• Drunk-driving deaths (10,497 fatalities) increased by 1.7 per­cent;
• Speeding-related deaths (10,111 fatalities) increased by 4.0 percent;
• Unbelted deaths (10,428 fatalities) increased by 4.6 percent;
• Motorcyclist deaths (5,286 fatalities – the largest number of motorcyclist fatalities since 2008) increased by 5.1 percent;
• Pedestrian deaths (5,987 fatalities – the highest number since 1990) increased by 9.0 percent; and
• Bicyclist deaths (840 fatalities – the highest number since 1991) increased by 1.3 percent.