U.S. Road Fatalities Continue to Increase
U.S. Road Deaths Keep Rising
Summary :
The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) has reported a significant increase in traffic deaths and injuries in the US since 2005, with almost 43,000 people dying in vehicle crashes in both 2021 and 2022. Fatalities among pedestrians and cyclists have increased by 13% and 1.9% respectively between 2020 and 2021. Traffic safety advocates are urging cities and states to lower speed limits and improve pedestrian infrastructure to combat the growth in traffic-related fatalities and injuries. Lowering speeds has been shown to reduce the likelihood of crashes and injuries, with reducing speeds by 1 mph decreasing deadly crashes by 17%. Other recommendations include automatic speed cameras, safer pedestrian infrastructure, and smaller vehicles.
Description :
Traffic safety advocates are urging cities and states to reduce speed limits and improve pedestrian infrastructure to address the increase in traffic fatalities and injuries.
According to a recent report from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), more people are losing their lives on U.S. roads than in any year since 2005, with nearly 43,000 dying in vehicle crashes in both 2021 and 2022. As Smart Cities Dive’s Michael Brady notes, the rise in fatalities between 2020 and 2021 is “the second year-to-year increase since 2019 and the largest year-to-year percentage increase since the agency began collecting data in 1975.”
Between 2020 and 2021, the number of pedestrian and cyclist fatalities rose by 13% and 1.9%, respectively. NHTSA also discovered that “the estimated number of individuals injured on U.S. roadways rose from 2.3 million in 2020 to 2.5 million in 2021—a 9.4% year-over-year increase.”
Lowering speed limits is one solution supported by traffic safety advocates, as this can lower the likelihood of crashes and injuries. According to Rice University’s Kinder Institute for Urban Research, reducing speeds by just 1 mph may reduce fatal crashes by 17%. The Urban Institute also recommends automated speed cameras, better pedestrian infrastructure, and smaller vehicles as additional measures to reduce traffic fatalities and injuries.
sources:
1- melk360.com ,U.S. Road Deaths Keep Rising ,2023-04-27 16:00:00
2- https://www.planetizen.com/news/2023/04/122834-us-road-deaths-keep-rising?rand=493
