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

  • New USDOT report points to need for more investment in highways, transit
    March 3, 2014
    US Transportation Secretary Anthony Foxx has announced that a new report on the state of America's transportation infrastructure, 2013 Status of the Nation's Highways, Bridges and Transit: Conditions and Performance, confirms that more investment is needed to maintain and improve the nation's highway and transit systems. Last month, Secretary Foxx highlighted the need for transportation investment in a speech that took aim at America’s infrastructure deficit and identified ways to use innovation and improv
  • EV charging infrastructure market predicted to grow by almost 50 per cent by 2025
    May 19, 2017
    The global electric vehicle charging infrastructure market is expected to reach US$45.59 billion by 2025, growing at a CAGR of 46.8 per cent from 2017 to 2025, according to a new report by Grand View Research. Governments around the world are encouraging the adoption of electric vehicles and incentive programs, such as tax rebates, grants, and subsidies, have been launched to promote the same. The increasing adoption of electric vehicles is expected to be more in the passenger cars segment, in comparison wi
  • Land of ITS opportunities
    February 2, 2012
    Geographically, Russia, the largest country in the world, is vast. So too are the opportunities for the global ITS community, which is why ITS Russia has been actively promoting the country and the opportunities that abound there. ITS Russia is reaching out around the world. In October, at the 17th ITS World Congress in Busan, South Korea, a cooperative agreement was signed with ITS America to promote and strengthen research, educational, and commercial cooperation in the ITS field among the two association
  • Land of ITS opportunities
    February 6, 2012
    Geographically, Russia, the largest country in the world, is vast. So too are the opportunities for the global ITS community, which is why ITS Russia has been actively promoting the country and the opportunities that abound there