According to a report from the U.S. Department of Transportation, the first half of 2021 recorded the largest six-month increase in road fatalities in the Fatality Analysis Reporting System’s history.
The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration’s (NHTSA) “Early Estimate of Motor Vehicle Traffic Fatalities for the First Half (January-June) of 2021” found that an estimated 20,160 people died in motor vehicle crashes during the period, an increase of 18.4 percent over 2020.
Preliminary data indicates American’s traveled about 173.1 billion miles during the first half of 2021, an increase of about 13 percent. The fatality rate went from 1.28 fatalities per 100 million vehicle miles traveled (VMT) in 2020 to 1.34 fatalities per 100 VMT in 2021.
“This is a crisis. More than 20,000 people died on U.S. roads in the first six months of 2021, leaving countless loved ones behind. We cannot and should not accept these fatalities as simply a part of everyday life in America,” said Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg. “Today, we are announcing that we will produce the Department’s first-ever National Roadway Safety Strategy to identify action steps for everyone working to save lives on the road. No one will accomplish this alone. It will take all levels of government, industries, advocates, engineers, and communities across the country working together toward the day when family members no longer have to say goodbye to loved ones because of a traffic crash.”
Additionally, NHTSA released behavioral research findings from March 2020 through June 2021, which found that incidents of speeding and traveling without a seatbelt were higher than the number of incidents recorded pre-pandemic.
“The report is sobering. It’s also a reminder of what hundreds of millions of people can do every day, right now, to combat this: Slow down, wear seat belts, drive sober, and avoid distractions behind the wheel,” said NHTSA Deputy Administrator Dr. Steven Cliff. “All of us must work together to stop aggressive, dangerous driving and help prevent fatal crashes.”