US motor vehicle deaths drop slightly in first half of 2017, but remain higher than two years ago

Preliminary estimates from the National Safety Council indicate motor vehicle deaths in the first six months of 2017 are one per cent lower than they were during the same six-month period in 2016. However, it says the country is fresh off the steepest estimated two-year increase in motor vehicle deaths since 1964 and it is too early to conclude whether the upward trend is over. The estimated deaths during the first six months of 2017 still are eight per cent higher than the 2015 six-month estimates, and the
August 17, 2017 Read time: 2 mins
Preliminary estimates from the 4953 National Safety Council indicate motor vehicle deaths in the first six months of 2017 are one per cent lower than they were during the same six-month period in 2016. However, it says the country is fresh off the steepest estimated two-year increase in motor vehicle deaths since 1964 and it is too early to conclude whether the upward trend is over.


The estimated deaths during the first six months of 2017 still are eight per cent higher than the 2015 six-month estimates, and the final six months of the calendar year – July to December – tend to be deadlier than the first six. An estimated 18,680 people have been killed on U.S. roads since January and 2.1 million were seriously injured. The total estimated cost of these deaths and injuries is US$191 billion.

"The price of our cultural complacency is more than a hundred fatalities each day," said Deborah A.P. Hersman, president and CEO of the National Safety Council. "Although the numbers may be levelling off, the Road to Zero deaths will require accelerating improvements in technology, engaging drivers and investing in our infrastructure."

The National Safety Council has tracked fatality trends and issued estimates for nearly 100 years. Last winter, the Council estimated as many as 40,000 people were killed on the roads in 2016, a six per cent rise over 2015 and the largest two-year percentage increase in deaths in 53 years. Those estimates, as well as the 2017 preliminary estimates, are subject to slight increases and decreases as the data mature.   

Factors impacting motor vehicle fatality trends include an improved economy and lower gas prices, both of which have helped fuel a 1.7 percent increase in miles driven from 2016 to 2017.

Parking & Access Control

For more information on companies in this article

Related Content

  • Average speed cameras reduce injury collisions, says report
    October 31, 2016
    Research carried out into average speed camera (ASC) effectiveness by the UK’s RAC Foundation concludes that the implementation of ASCs in the locations that have been assessed in its report has had the effect of reducing injury collisions, and especially those of a higher severity. Even taking into account other influencing factors, the report says the reductions are large and statistically significant. Researchers analysed detailed accident data taken from 25 sites where average speed cameras were inst
    Read More
  • Impact of speed limits in Barcelona
    January 20, 2012
    When Barcelona imposed an 80km/h (50mph), the result was significant in environmental, accident, fatality and injury terms. The 80km/h speed limit had the same positive environmental effect as if 22,100 cars were eliminated from the roads in the metropolitan area. Moreover, a reduction in the consumption of fuel by more than 24,000 tonnes per year was also achieved, while accidents, fatalities and injuries also showed substantial improvement.
    Read More
  • ITS homes in on cycling safety
    April 9, 2014
    A new generation of ITS equipment is helping road authorities get to grips with cycle safety – and not a moment too soon as Colin Sowman discovers. Cyclists - remember them? Apparently not. At least not according to the OECD 2013 report Cycling, Health and Safety which contains the statement: ‘Cyclists are often forgotten in the design of the road traffic system’. Looking through the statistics that exist (each country appears to compile them differently) it is not difficult to see how such a conclusion cou
    Read More
  • CRASH aids crash reduction
    August 6, 2014
    Announcing a decrease in traffic fatalities in Tennessee, US, earlier this year, the Tennessee Department of Safety and Homeland Security indicated preliminary figures of 988 traffic fatalities in 2013, a 2.7 per cent decrease compared to 2012, when there were 1,015 traffic fatalities. At the same time, Tennessee Highway Patrol (THP) Colonel Tracy Trott said: “In 2014, we will employ a predictive analytics model to look even more closely at where traffic crashes are most likely to occur and deploy our res
    Read More

Highlighted Content