Skip to main content

US traffic deaths up 7.7 per cent in 2015

Preliminary data released by the US Department of Transportation’s National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) show a 7.7 per cent increase in motor vehicle traffic deaths in 2015. An estimated 35,200 people died in 2015, up from the 32,675 reported fatalities in 2014. Although the data are preliminary and requires additional analysis, the early NHTSA estimate shows 9 out of 10 regions within the United States had increased traffic deaths in 2015. The most significant increases came for pedest
July 8, 2016 Read time: 2 mins
Preliminary data released by the 324 US Department of Transportation’s National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) show a 7.7 per cent increase in motor vehicle traffic deaths in 2015. An estimated 35,200 people died in 2015, up from the 32,675 reported fatalities in 2014.

Although the data are preliminary and requires additional analysis, the early NHTSA estimate shows 9 out of 10 regions within the United States had increased traffic deaths in 2015. The most significant increases came for pedestrians and bicyclists.

If these projec¬tions are realised, fatalities will be at the highest level since 2008, when 37,423 fatalities were reported. Preliminary data reported by the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) shows that vehicle miles travelled in 2015 increased by about 107.2 billion miles, or about a 3.5-per cent increase.

According to NHTSA administrator Dr Mark Rosekind, an improved economy and lower fuel prices has led to Americans driving more, but only explains part of the increase in fatalities. He says 94 per cent of crashes can be tied back to a human choice or error, so more focus is needed on improving human behaviour while promoting vehicle technology that not only protects people in crashes, but helps prevent crashes in the first place.

For more information on companies in this article

Related Content

  • Euro NCAP puts autonomous pedestrian detection to the test
    November 11, 2015
    European safety organisation Euro NCAP is introducing a new test that will check how well vehicles autonomously detect and prevent collisions with pedestrians, which it says will make it simpler for consumers and manufacturers to find out which systems work best. According to Euro NCAP, independent analysis of real world crash data in the UK and Germany indicates that the deployment of effective autonomous emergency braking systems on passenger cars could prevent one in five fatal pedestrian collisions.
  • New report reveals red-light running data and trends across 20 states
    May 22, 2014
    More than 3.5 million drivers in 20 US states ran a red light in 2013, according to the second biannual Safer Roads Report 2014: Trends in Red-Light Running from the National Coalition for Safer Roads (NCSR). The report, released today, examines red-light running trends across 20 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 2011 – the most r
  • Road fatalities in Germany increase sharply, reversing a 20-year trend
    July 10, 2012
    According to Germany's Federal Statistics Office, Destatis, the number of people who died in road traffic accidents in Germany increased by 9.9 per cent to 4,009 in 2011 compared to 2010 - the first time in 20 years that the number of fatalities has risen. Paradoxically, the overall number of road traffic accidents registered by the police was down by 2.1 per cent (to 2.36 million in 2011) compared to 2010.
  • MobilityXX: ‘Women pay more for safe transport’
    October 8, 2021
    Laura Chace, new boss of ITS America, is fully behind the MobilityXX initiative, which promotes the role of women in transportation. She tells Adam Hill why the ’10 by 10’ target is so important…