The shocking rise in traffic deaths in recent years, from distracted driving to rising pedestrian fatalities, paints a grim picture on our roads that demands a closer look at the data to understand how we can drive toward a safer future.
Key Takeaways
- In 2021, there were 42,939 motor vehicle crash deaths in the United States, marking a 16% increase from 2020
- In 2022, an estimated 5,576 pedestrians were killed in traffic crashes, the highest number since 1981
- In 2021, 42% of fatally injured passenger vehicle occupants were unbelted at the time of the crash
- Distracted driving was reported in 8% of all fatal crashes in 2021, accounting for 3,275 deaths
- Alcohol-impaired driving fatalities totaled 13,384 in 2021, representing 31% of all traffic fatalities
- Speeding was a factor in 29% of fatal crashes in 2021, contributing to 12,151 deaths
- Males accounted for 71% of all motor vehicle crash deaths in 2021, totaling 30,490 deaths
- Drivers aged 16-20 had a crash rate of 3,727 per million miles driven in 2020
- African Americans represented 21% of traffic fatalities in 2021 despite being 13% of the population
- The average economic cost per traffic fatality in 2019 was $1.4 million
- The lifetime medical cost for a seriously injured crash survivor averages $156,288
- Property damage from car crashes cost $242 billion annually in the US
- Seat belt use reduced fatality risk by 45% for front-seat passenger car occupants in 2021 crashes
- Airbags, when used with seat belts, reduce driver death risk by 61% in frontal crashes
- Electronic stability control reduces fatal single-vehicle rollover crashes by 74% for cars
Road traffic deaths increased significantly in 2021 and are caused by preventable behaviors.
Causes
- Distracted driving was reported in 8% of all fatal crashes in 2021, accounting for 3,275 deaths
- Alcohol-impaired driving fatalities totaled 13,384 in 2021, representing 31% of all traffic fatalities
- Speeding was a factor in 29% of fatal crashes in 2021, contributing to 12,151 deaths
- Rear-end crashes accounted for 28.5% of all police-reported crashes in 2020
- Head-on crashes made up 7.8% of fatal crashes in 2021
- Drowsy driving contributes to 6,000 fatal crashes each year in the US
- Intersection-related crashes account for 40% of all crashes and 22.7% of fatalities
- Weather-related crashes cause over 900,000 police-reported crashes annually
- Red-light running causes about 900 deaths and 165,000 injuries yearly in the US
- Animal-vehicle collisions result in 1.5 million crashes annually, causing $1.6 billion in damage
- Phone use while driving increases crash risk by 4 times
- Failure to yield caused 30% of intersection crashes in 2020
- Improper lane changes led to 8% of fatal crashes in 2021
- Following too closely caused 22% of rear-end crashes in 2020
- Overturning vehicles accounted for 17% of passenger deaths in 2021
- Wrong-way driving crashes killed 382 people in 2020
- Texting while driving increases crash risk by 23 times
- Sideswipe crashes comprise 10.6% of all police-reported crashes
- Hit-and-run crashes caused 2,783 deaths in 2021
- Construction zone crashes injure 35,000 workers yearly
- Illegal passing caused 1,200 fatalities annually
- Tire blowouts lead to 11,000 crashes yearly
- Running off road caused 35% of fatalities in 2021
Causes Interpretation
While society debates the ethics of autonomous vehicles, humans are clearly doing a spectacularly creative and violent job of removing themselves from the gene pool through a symphony of distraction, intoxication, impatience, and simple bad math.
Costs
- The average economic cost per traffic fatality in 2019 was $1.4 million
- The lifetime medical cost for a seriously injured crash survivor averages $156,288
- Property damage from car crashes cost $242 billion annually in the US
- Lost productivity from crashes costs $77.1 billion per year in the US
- Comprehensive crash costs totaled $1.03 trillion in 2019
- Emergency medical services costs from crashes average $4,200 per patient
- Insurance claims for crash repairs averaged $4,443 per claim in 2022
- Pain and suffering costs from crashes total $137 billion annually
- Household economic loss per fatality averaged $1.1 million in 2019
- Legal costs from crashes added $12 billion to societal burden in 2019
- Pre-crash congestion delay costs $55 billion yearly due to crashes
- Quality-adjusted life years lost from crashes: 33 million annually worldwide
- Crash-related workplace absenteeism costs $21 billion per year
- Vehicle damage costs averaged $5,288 for moderate crashes
- Societal crash costs per police-reported crash: $11,159 in 2019
- Medical rehabilitation costs per serious injury: $78,000 average
- Human capital costs from fatalities: $870 billion in 2019
Costs Interpretation
Behind every sterile statistic lies a tragic ledger where lives are translated into a crushing $1.03 trillion annual invoice for preventable human suffering, lost potential, and shattered steel.
Demographics
- Males accounted for 71% of all motor vehicle crash deaths in 2021, totaling 30,490 deaths
- Drivers aged 16-20 had a crash rate of 3,727 per million miles driven in 2020
- African Americans represented 21% of traffic fatalities in 2021 despite being 13% of the population
- Hispanic drivers had a fatality rate 20% higher than non-Hispanics in 2020
- Females aged 35-44 had the highest rate of involvement in fatal crashes per population
- Teen drivers aged 16-19 are nearly three times more likely to crash per mile driven than drivers over 20
- Drivers under 21 have the highest DUI arrest rate at 20% of total arrests
- Rural roads accounted for 53% of all traffic fatalities in 2021 despite lower traffic volume
- Males aged 25-34 had 2.5 times higher fatality rate than females in same age group
- Elderly drivers over 80 have crash rates similar to teens per mile driven
- Urban areas saw 13,384 pedestrian deaths in 2021, 76% of total
- Drivers with prior DUI convictions are 4.5 times more likely to crash fatally
- Nighttime crashes from 9pm-6am caused 55% of fatalities despite 27% of travel
- Teen passengers increase solo teen driver crash risk by 66%
- Alcohol was involved in 28% of fatal crashes for drivers 21-24
- Rural male drivers have 2x fatality rate of urban females
- License suspension triples crash risk for young drivers
- BAC over 0.08 involved in 67% of alcohol-impaired driving deaths
- Married drivers have 15% lower crash rates than singles
- Foreign-born drivers have 20% lower fatality rates
Demographics Interpretation
The sobering symphony of these statistics plays a tragic, predictable tune: our roads are most lethal for young, inexperienced, and impaired men, particularly on dark rural stretches, while systemic inequities and simple recklessness compose the devastating crescendo.
Fatalities
- In 2021, there were 42,939 motor vehicle crash deaths in the United States, marking a 16% increase from 2020
- In 2022, an estimated 5,576 pedestrians were killed in traffic crashes, the highest number since 1981
- In 2021, 42% of fatally injured passenger vehicle occupants were unbelted at the time of the crash
- Motorcycle riders had a fatality rate of 28.04 per 100 million vehicle miles traveled in 2021
- Globally, road traffic crashes kill approximately 1.19 million people annually
- In 2021, 20% of children aged 0-14 killed in crashes were pedestrians
- In 2022, large trucks were involved in 5,837 fatal crashes, killing 7,015 people
- Occupant fatalities in SUVs were 25% lower than in cars in 2021
- In 2021, 6,976 motorcyclists died, up 9% from 2020
- Bicyclist deaths reached 1,105 in 2022, the highest since 1987
- In 2021, 25,526 passenger vehicle occupants died, 49% unbelted
- Globally, 90% of road traffic deaths occur in low- and middle-income countries
- Pickup trucks had 155 occupant deaths per million registered vehicles in 2021
- In 2022, fatalities rose 0.3% to 42,795 despite fewer miles driven
- Small cars had 97 deaths per million registered in 2021 vs 59 for large SUVs
- Ejection from vehicles caused 13% of occupant deaths in 2021
- Fire in crashes caused 380 deaths in 2021
- In 2021, 4,643 children 14 and under died in crashes
- Passenger deaths in light trucks rose 22% from 2019-2021
- 13,590 fatalities in single-vehicle crashes in 2021
- Rollover deaths dropped 13% with ESC mandate
- Pedestrian fatalities increased 77% from 2010-2021
Fatalities Interpretation
These sobering figures paint a grim portrait of a public health crisis where our inattention, speed, and disregard for simple safety measures—like a seatbelt—are weaponizing our vehicles against ourselves, our most vulnerable road users, and children, with the burden falling hardest on the world's poorest.
Prevention
- Seat belt use reduced fatality risk by 45% for front-seat passenger car occupants in 2021 crashes
- Airbags, when used with seat belts, reduce driver death risk by 61% in frontal crashes
- Electronic stability control reduces fatal single-vehicle rollover crashes by 74% for cars
- Automatic emergency braking systems reduce rear-end crashes by 50%
- Child safety seats reduce fatality risk by 71% for infants and 54% for toddlers
- Roundabouts reduce severe crashes by 72% compared to signalized intersections
- Vision zero initiatives reduced fatalities by 12% in adopting cities
- Anti-lock brakes reduce fatal crashes by 15% on wet roads
- Daytime running lights reduce multi-vehicle crashes by 5-10%
- Helmets reduce motorcyclist death risk by 37%
- Speed cameras reduce crashes by 20-30% at treated sites
- Forward collision warning reduces rear-to-front crashes by 27%
- Sobriety checkpoints reduce alcohol crashes by 20%
- Blind spot monitoring reduces lane-change crashes by 14%
- Graduated driver licensing reduces teen crash fatalities by 26%
- Back-up cameras reduce crashes by 17%
- Alcohol interlocks reduce recidivism by 67%
- Crash avoidance features prevent 360,000 crashes yearly
Prevention Interpretation
While it's clear that cars won't save you from yourself, these numbers prove that using common sense, technology, and smarter infrastructure can dramatically tip the survival odds in your favor.
Sources & References
- Reference 1NHTSAnhtsa.govVisit source
- Reference 2IIHSiihs.orgVisit source
- Reference 3CRASHSTATScrashstats.nhtsa.dot.govVisit source
- Reference 4BTSbts.govVisit source
- Reference 5WHOwho.intVisit source
- Reference 6CDCcdc.govVisit source
- Reference 7FHWAfhwa.dot.govVisit source
- Reference 8FMCSAfmcsa.dot.govVisit source
- Reference 9OPSops.fhwa.dot.govVisit source
- Reference 10GHSAghsa.orgVisit source
- Reference 11STATEFARMstatefarm.comVisit source
- Reference 12SAFETYsafety.fhwa.dot.govVisit source
- Reference 13AAAaaa.comVisit source
- Reference 14IIIiii.orgVisit source
- Reference 15VISIONZERONETWORKvisionzeronetwork.orgVisit source
- Reference 16CARANDDRIVERcaranddriver.comVisit source
- Reference 17WORKZONESAFETYworkzonesafety.orgVisit source