U.S. Traffic Deaths Reportedly Topped 40,000 Again in 2018

Reuters reports that based on estimates provided by the National Safety Council, traffic deaths in the U.S. topped 40,000 last year. That would make 2018 the third year in a row with traffic deaths above that mark, according to the nonprofit organization. And while the good news is that the NSC estimates there were 231 fewer deaths than in 2017, a decrease of about 1 percent, those figures are 14 percent higher than they were back in 2014. An additional 4.5 million people were seriously injured in wrecks in 2018, which represents a 1-percent decline, as well.

Even though total deaths decreased slightly, not all states saw a similar improvement. Florida, Hawaii, Minnesota, Nevada, New Hampshire, Oregon, and Pennsylvania, each saw at least a 5.8-percent uptick in fatalities. While not a state, Washington, D.C., saw a similar increase. On the other hand, traffic deaths in Kansas, Maine, New Jersey, Rhode Island, and Wyoming all dropped at least 9.4 percent.

“Forty-thousand deaths is unacceptable,” said Nicholas Smith, interim president and CEO of NSC. “We cannot afford to tread water any more. We know what works, but we need to demonstrate the commitment to implementing the solutions. Roadway deaths are preventable by doubling down on what works, embracing technology advancements and creating a culture of safer driving.”

As Reuters points out, modern safety systems that offer features such as automatic emergency braking have been shown to reduce the number of wrecks. But those features have only been offered on mainstream vehicles for a few years and will take time to become more common.

“There is definitely evidence that these systems are preventing crashes,” Ken Kolosh, the safety council’s director of statistics, told Reuters. But “they’re probably not at the critical mass yet to see them having an impact on the overall macro level.”

Source: Reuters, National Safety Council

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