A new report shows a decline in traffic fatalities in the first half of 2023, even with a 2.3% increase in mileage compared to 2022. Mileage has also risen by 5.1% compared to 2021, according to the National Safety Council.
These nine states saw reduction of over 15% in traffic fatalities:
- Maine (minus 48%, 39 fewer deaths)
- Nebraska (minus 26%, 32 fewer deaths)
- Hawaii (minus 23%, 14 fewer deaths)
- New Jersey (minus 20%, 68 fewer deaths)
- Alaska (minus 19%, 6 fewer deaths)
- California (minus 17%, 330 fewer deaths)
- Massachusetts (minus 17%, 33 fewer deaths)
- Georgia (minus 16%, 144 fewer deaths)
- New York (minus 16%, 71 fewer deaths)
Conversely, traffic fatalities rose by over 10% in nine states and the District of Columbia.
- Rhode Island (164%, 23 more deaths)
- Arizona (69%, 248 more deaths)
- District of Columbia (29%, 5 more deaths)
- Wyoming (20%, 10 more deaths)
- Idaho (20%, 16 more deaths)
- South Dakota (14%, 6 more deaths)
- Iowa (13%, 20 more deaths)
- North Dakota (11%, 4 more deaths)
- Kentucky (11%, 35 more deaths)
- Maryland (10%, 26 more deaths)
The National Safety Council gathers preliminary data on traffic fatalities from reporters across all 50 states and the District of Columbia. These reporters, who typically work in state Department of Transportation offices, also provide data to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration’s Fatality Analysis Reporting System.
According to the most recent data from NHTSA, there were 9,330 traffic fatalities in the first quarter of 2023. This represents a 3.3% decrease compared to the same period in 2022. It’s also the fourth consecutive quarter with a decline in traffic deaths, following seven quarters of year-on-year increases.
During the first three months of 2023, there was a 2.6% increase in vehicle miles traveled. Historically, an increase in vehicle miles tends to lead to more traffic deaths.
The traffic fatality rate for the first quarter of this year also decreased from 1.32 fatalities per 100 million vehicle miles traveled in the previous year to a rate of 1.24. This is the lowest rate since the first quarter of 2020, when the rate was 1.08.
Source: Land Line
