Toronto, Ontario The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration estimates there was a 3.8 percent drop in the number of fatal vehicle collisions in 2024.
According to the Federal agency’s preliminary figures, about 39,345 people died in traffic accidents in the U.S. last year, the lowest number of people killed on America’s roads since before the coronavirus pandemic.
The last few months of the year also saw the 11th straight quarterly decline in total traffic deaths, continuing a trend that began in 2022. These declines have not been evenly spread. Fatalities declined 35 states as well as in Puerto Rico, while they climbed in 14 states as well as in Washington, D.C.
The data also reveals that the decline in deaths came in spite of an overall increase in the amount of driving being done by Americans. Over the course of the year, the average driver actually traveled about one per cent more by car than in the previous year. As a result, there were about 1.20 deaths per 100 million miles driven in 2024 — the lowest ratio seen since 2019.
“Traffic deaths are still too high, but this steady decline is encouraging,” said NHTSA chief counsel Peter Simshauser. “We’re working with law enforcement nationwide to target key risk factors like speed, impairment, distraction, and seat belt use.”
