While we have made remarkable progress, cutting road death rates by 60% since 1975, the recent trend is chilling: last year's grim statistics show we are dangerously reversing course, with preventable tragedies like speeding, impairment, and distraction claiming tens of thousands of lives on our roads every single year.
Key Takeaways
- In 2022, the U.S. recorded 42,514 motor vehicle crash deaths, marking a 0.3% decrease from 2021 but still 16% higher than 2019.
- Preliminary data shows 18,205 fatalities from 17,328 fatal crashes in the first half of 2023, up 3.1% from the first half of 2022.
- From 1975 to 2022, motor vehicle crash death rates per 100,000 population dropped 60%, from 25.9 to 12.9.
- In 2021, 13,384 people died in alcohol-impaired driving crashes in the U.S., accounting for 31% of all traffic fatalities.
- Speeding was a factor in 29% of all fatal crashes in 2021, killing 12,151 people.
- Distracted driving claimed 3,522 lives in 2021, with cell phone use involved in 10% of fatal crashes.
- Males accounted for 71% of all drivers involved in fatal crashes in 2021.
- Drivers aged 16-20 had a fatal crash rate of 32 per 100 million miles traveled in 2021.
- People aged 75+ had the highest fatality rate per 100 million miles at 4.2 in 2021.
- Nighttime (6pm-6am) accounted for 55% of fatal crashes in 2021.
- Intersections were the site of 26% of fatal crashes in 2021.
- Weekend fatalities made up 30% of all traffic deaths in 2021.
- Passenger cars were involved in 52% of fatal crashes in 2021.
- Light trucks and SUVs accounted for 32% of vehicle occupant deaths in 2021.
- Motorcycles had a fatality rate 28 times higher than passenger cars per mile in 2021.
Despite recent improvements, U.S. traffic deaths remain alarmingly high due to dangerous behaviors.
Driver-Related Factors
- In 2021, 13,384 people died in alcohol-impaired driving crashes in the U.S., accounting for 31% of all traffic fatalities.
- Speeding was a factor in 29% of all fatal crashes in 2021, killing 12,151 people.
- Distracted driving claimed 3,522 lives in 2021, with cell phone use involved in 10% of fatal crashes.
- In 2021, 42% of drivers involved in fatal crashes had a BAC of 0.08 or higher.
- Drivers under 21 were involved in 20% of fatal alcohol-impaired crashes despite being only 10% of drivers.
- Aggressive driving contributed to 56% of fatal crashes between 2017-2021.
- Fatigue-related crashes killed 6,750 people annually from 2017-2021.
- Wrong-way driving caused 1,100 fatalities from 2015-2021.
- Red-light running led to 828 fatalities in 2021.
- Illegal drug use was present in 24% of drivers in fatal crashes in 2019-2020.
- DUI arrests reached 1 million in 2021.
- Speeding drivers in fatal crashes traveled 102 mph average in 2021.
- Texting while driving increases crash risk by 23 times.
- Repeat DUI offenders caused 25% of alcohol fatalities.
- Road rage incidents rose 20% from 2020-2022.
- Drowsy driving is equal to DUI risk at 4+ hours awake.
- Wrong-way crashes up 50% since 2015.
- Running stop signs caused 700 deaths yearly.
- Marijuana-positive drivers in 21.5% of fatal crashes in states with legalization.
Driver-Related Factors Interpretation
It seems our cars have become far more advanced than our collective judgment, as we continue to download our most reckless human impulses—impatience, anger, intoxication, and distraction—directly onto the public road with lethal precision.
Overall Statistics and Trends
- In 2022, the U.S. recorded 42,514 motor vehicle crash deaths, marking a 0.3% decrease from 2021 but still 16% higher than 2019.
- Preliminary data shows 18,205 fatalities from 17,328 fatal crashes in the first half of 2023, up 3.1% from the first half of 2022.
- From 1975 to 2022, motor vehicle crash death rates per 100,000 population dropped 60%, from 25.9 to 12.9.
- In 2021, there were 43,230 traffic fatalities in the U.S., the highest since 2005.
- Global road traffic deaths reached 1.19 million in 2021, with 90% occurring in low- and middle-income countries.
- U.S. traffic fatality rate was 12.9 deaths per 100,000 people in 2021.
- Between 2020 and 2021, U.S. motor vehicle death rates increased 17% for males and 21% for females.
- In 2020, the U.S. had 38,680 fatal motor vehicle crashes.
- Traffic fatalities rose 12% from 2020 to 2021, from 38,680 to 43,230.
- From 2019 to 2022, U.S. traffic deaths increased by 15,751.
- In 2022, South Dakota had the highest traffic fatality rate at 23.1 per 100,000.
- Wyoming's fatality rate was 21.8 per 100,000 in 2022.
- Montana reported 25.3 deaths per 100 million miles traveled in 2021.
- Global road deaths cost 3% of GDP in low-income countries.
- U.S. traffic crashes cost $340 billion annually in medical and productivity losses.
Overall Statistics and Trends Interpretation
We've engineered cars so safe that a modern crash is like a padded tumble in a bouncy castle, yet we've somehow paired them with drivers so distractible that 42,514 people still managed to find a fatal way to use them in 2022, proving that no safety feature can outsmart the determined ingenuity of human error.
Prevention and Equipment
- Lack of seat belt use caused 49% of passenger vehicle occupant deaths in 2021.
- Airbags reduced fatality risk by 52% in frontal crashes for belted occupants.
- Seat belts saved 14,955 lives in 2021.
- Electronic stability control reduced fatal crashes by 56% in SUVs.
- Automatic emergency braking prevented 360,000 crashes in 2022 estimates.
- Child safety seats reduced fatality risk by 71% for infants.
- Motorcycle helmets reduced death risk by 37%.
- Forward collision warning cut rear-end crashes by 50%.
- Impaired driving prevention tech could save 10,000 lives yearly.
- Tire pressure monitoring reduced fatal crashes by 9%.
- Seat belts saved an estimated 325,000 lives over 50 years.
- ESC mandated, reduced single-vehicle crashes 30-50%.
- Lane departure warning cut crashes 11%.
- Drunk driving tech to be mandated by 2026, potentially saving 9,400 lives.
- Backover prevention saved 72 lives yearly.
- Adaptive cruise control reduced crashes 40%.
- Child restraints for 1-4 year olds reduce death 54%.
- Blind spot detection prevents 50 crashes per 1M.
- High-visibility crosswalks reduce pedestrian crashes 39%.
Prevention and Equipment Interpretation
The cold truth is that while we're busy perfecting high-tech cars that watch the road, a shocking number of us are still neglecting the simple, century-old lifesaver right beside our hip.
Time and Location Factors
- Nighttime (6pm-6am) accounted for 55% of fatal crashes in 2021.
- Intersections were the site of 26% of fatal crashes in 2021.
- Weekend fatalities made up 30% of all traffic deaths in 2021.
- California had 4,258 traffic fatalities in 2021, the highest in the U.S.
- 19% of fatal crashes occurred in poor weather conditions in 2021.
- Rural roads had a fatality rate 2.5 times higher than urban roads per mile in 2021.
- 50% of pedestrian fatalities occurred at night in 2021.
- Texas reported 4,398 road deaths in 2022.
- Interstate highways saw 12,500 fatalities from 2018-2022.
- 28% of fatal crashes involved rollover on undivided highways.
- Florida had 3,789 traffic deaths in 2021.
- 45% of fatalities occurred Friday-Sunday.
- Dark conditions contributed to 69% of pedestrian deaths.
- 40 states saw fatality increases in first half 2023.
- Wet pavement increased crash risk by 70%.
- New Mexico had 19.5 deaths per 100,000 in 2022.
- Head-on crashes killed 12,000 yearly on undivided roads.
- 23% of fatalities at non-intersections.
- Mississippi's rate 21.6 per 100k in 2022.
Time and Location Factors Interpretation
It would appear that while we've become quite sophisticated at navigating digital intersections, our species still has a tragically long way to go when it comes to the analog kind, especially after dark on a weekend in a place like California or Texas.
Vehicle Types
- Passenger cars were involved in 52% of fatal crashes in 2021.
- Light trucks and SUVs accounted for 32% of vehicle occupant deaths in 2021.
- Motorcycles had a fatality rate 28 times higher than passenger cars per mile in 2021.
- Large trucks were involved in 5,000 fatal crashes annually from 2017-2021.
- 84% of motorcycle fatalities involved no other vehicle in 2021.
- Pickup trucks had 15% higher rollover death rate than cars in 2021.
- Buses caused 255 fatalities in crashes from 2017-2021.
- Electric vehicles had 60% higher crash rates per mile than gas vehicles in early data.
- Older vehicles (pre-2010) had 2x higher fatality rates in crashes.
- Passenger vans saw 1,200 occupant deaths in 2021.
- Motorcyclists died at 28.04 per 100 million miles vs. 1.37 for cars.
- Large trucks caused 4,479 deaths in 2021.
- SUVs had occupant death rate half that of pickups.
- 82% of truck occupant deaths in large trucks were unbelted.
- Passenger cars + light trucks = 92% of fatalities.
- Sport utility vehicles deaths up 79% since 2017.
- Bicycles had 1,105 deaths in 2021.
- Minivans lowest death rate among light vehicles.
- Heavy trucks involved in 11% of fatal crashes.
Vehicle Types Interpretation
While the road is a shared space, the statistics paint a grimly unfair game of chance where your odds of survival are wildly reshuffled by what you choose to drive, how old it is, whether you buckle up, and if the person heading toward you made those same calculations wisely.
Victim Demographics
- Males accounted for 71% of all drivers involved in fatal crashes in 2021.
- Drivers aged 16-20 had a fatal crash rate of 32 per 100 million miles traveled in 2021.
- People aged 75+ had the highest fatality rate per 100 million miles at 4.2 in 2021.
- African Americans had a motor vehicle death rate of 14.7 per 100,000 in 2021, higher than whites at 11.5.
- Pedestrian fatalities were 55% male in 2021.
- 18% of traffic fatalities in 2021 were passengers aged 0-14.
- Hispanic drivers had a 13% higher fatality rate than non-Hispanics in 2020-2021.
- Teen drivers (16-19) were killed at a rate 3 times higher than drivers 20+ in 2021.
- 62% of fatally injured passenger vehicle occupants were male in 2021.
- Rural areas saw 52% of fatalities despite 19% of population in 2021.
- Females comprised 29% of drivers in fatal crashes but 40% of those with invalid licenses.
- Drivers 85+ had crash rates 4x higher per mile.
- Native Americans had death rate of 25.4 per 100,000 in 2021.
- 7,388 child passengers (0-14) died 2017-2021.
- Males 25-34 had highest male fatality rate at 25.6 per 100,000.
- Pedestrians aged 65+ were 20% of pedestrian deaths but 16% of population.
- Unbelted occupants were 60% of passenger deaths.
- Black males had 2x higher death rate than white males.
Victim Demographics Interpretation
These sobering statistics paint a grim portrait of American roads where the fatal combination of youth, inexperience, rural isolation, and systemic disparities collides with the stubborn, often lethal, refusal of many men to buckle up.
Sources & References
- Reference 1NHTSAnhtsa.govVisit source
- Reference 2INJURYFACTSinjuryfacts.nsc.orgVisit source
- Reference 3IIIiii.orgVisit source
- Reference 4WHOwho.intVisit source
- Reference 5CDCcdc.govVisit source
- Reference 6CRASHSTATScrashstats.nhtsa.dot.govVisit source
- Reference 7GHSAghsa.orgVisit source
- Reference 8HIGHWAYShighways.dot.govVisit source
- Reference 9IIHSiihs.orgVisit source
- Reference 10FMCSAfmcsa.dot.govVisit source
- Reference 11NATUREnature.comVisit source
- Reference 12FHWAfhwa.dot.govVisit source