According to a report published by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration and reported on by landline.media, roadways in the United States have been increasingly deadlier over the past two years. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration also reported that truck accidents had the most significant annual percentage increase in traffic deaths on record.
The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration stated that the number of traffic fatalities had increased by approximately 10.5% in 2021. The NHTSA also estimated that around 43,000 people were killed in vehicle accidents in 2021, up from about 39,000 in 2020. The NHTSA calculates that there have been more than 9,500 traffic fatalities in the first quarter of 2022. This is an increase of around 7%. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration will release the complete crash statistics for 2022 at a later date. In 2021, fatal large truck accidents grew by 13%.
The increase in large truck-involved traffic fatalities comes on the heels of a decrease in fatal crashes involving large trucks. In 2020, deaths resulting from a crash involving at least one large truck went down by 2% during a time when traffic deaths increased nearly across the board. The NHTSA’s crash data does not reflect whether or not the commercial truck drivers were at fault for causing the truck accidents.
Other significant increases in traffic deaths were noticed in the following classifications:
- Rural highway road accidents increased by 15%.
- Urban arterial roadway accidents climbed by 15%.
- Urban collector/local accidents grew by 20%.
- Daytime accidents increased by 11%.
- Weekend collisions grew by 11%.
- Out-of-state travel accidents increased by 15%).
- Newer passenger vehicle accidents climbed by 10%.
- Multi-vehicle crashes increased by 16%.
- Speeding-related collisions grew by 5%.
- Accidents involving drivers ages 25 to 34 increased by 10%.
- Crashes involving drivers ages 35-to-44 grew by 15%.
- Accidents involving drivers ages 45 to 54 rose by 12%).
- Collisions involving drivers ages 65 or older were up 14%.
According to National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, the reasons why last year’s traffic-related deaths rose are the same reasons why the number of traffic fatalities increased in 2022.
The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration blames changes in travel patterns and driving behaviors due to the COVID pandemic caused the rise in fatal accidents in 2021 and 2022. The NHTSA’s latest traffic death numbers for 2022 are only early estimates, and those results are expected to change as more data is entered into the Fatality Analysis Reporting System.
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