US road safety continues to improve

Road safety continues to improve according to the latest figures from the US Department of Transportation. The recorded data shows that in 2009 the US had the lowest level of traffic fatalities since 1954.
February 7, 2012 Read time: 2 mins

Road safety continues to improve according to the latest figures from the 324 US Department of Transportation. The recorded data shows that in 2009 the US had the lowest level of traffic fatalities since 1954. This is the 15th consecutive year that fatality rates have fallen. The projected fatality data for 2009 places the highway death count at 33,963, a drop of 8.9% as compared to the 37,261 deaths reported in 2008. The fatality rate for 2009 declined to the lowest on record, to 1.16 fatalities per 160 million vehicle km travelled (VKT), down from 1.25 fatalities per 160 million VKT in 2008.

It is extremely significant too that fatality rates are now lower than in 1954, when significantly fewer vehicles were on the roads and when average speeds were lower. Some of these safety gains can be attributed to laws against drink driving, instalment and mandatory use of seatbelts and improved car design with the development of crumple zones and ABS brakes. However US Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood cautioned, “There are still far too many people dying in traffic accidents. Drivers need to keep their hands on the steering wheel and their focus on the road in order to stay safe.”

The 834 National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) attributes the decline in 2009 to a combination of factors that include: high visibility campaigns like Click It or Ticket to increase seat belt use, and Drunk Driving. Over the Limit. Under Arrest which helps with the enforcement of state laws to prevent drunk driving and distracted driving. In addition, the decline is also the result of safer roads, safer vehicles and motorists driving less. “This continuing decline in highway deaths is encouraging, but our work is far from over,” said NHTSA head David Strickland. “We want to see those numbers drop further. We will not stop as long as there are still lives lost on our nation’s highways. We must continue our efforts to ensure seat belts are always used and stay focused on reducing distracted and impaired driving.”

NHTSA annually collects crash statistics from the 50 states, the District of Columbia and Puerto Rico to produce annual reports on traffic fatality trends.

For more information on companies in this article

Related Content

  • ITE applauds release of NTSB recommendations on speed-related crashes
    August 16, 2017
    The Institute of Transportation Engineers (ITE) has applauded the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) for the release of recommendations aimed at reducing speed and speeding-related deaths and injuries on US roads. According to the NTSB, more than 112,000 people died in speeding-related crashes in the United States from 2005 to 2014, averaging more than 10,000 deaths annually. This is on par with the number of drink-driving fatalities during the same period, the NTSB reported, yet receives far less
    Read More
  • Red-light running data and trends across the US
    May 28, 2012
    More than 2.3 million drivers in 18 states ran a red light in 2011, according to the first-ever Safer Roads Report 2012: Trends in Red-Light Running from the National Coalition for Safer Roads (NCSR). The report examines red-light running trends across 18 states and is designed to help raise driver awareness of the dangers of red-light running. The risks of red-light running are clear: intersection-related vehicle accidents caused more than 8,500 causalities in 2001, according to the National Highway Traffi
    Read More
  • Fewer cars - more reckless drivers, says GHSA
    April 22, 2020
    Emptier streets may be a green light for some US drivers to flaunt the law, according to police reports.
    Read More
  • Support for speed cameras remains high – but some drivers need convincing
    October 29, 2015
    A national survey by the Institute of Advanced Motorists (IAM) has shown that although most drivers support speed cameras there are big variations across the country – and Londoners and people in the north-east appear to show higher levels of resistance than most. The survey polled 1,000 drivers of all age groups across Britain and asked “It is now common for the authorities to use speed cameras at the side of the road to identify vehicles involved in speeding offences. How acceptable do you think this i
    Read More

Highlighted Content