Report Shows Fatal Crashes Increase In 2021

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) posted data concerning an increase number of deaths caused by road traffic accidents in the first half of 2021.

In a report released on Thursday, October 28, NHTSA discovered that the death rate in road traffic accidents from January to June 2021 reached the highest level in all years.

According to NHTSA, 20160 people died in vehicle accidents in the first half of 2021, that’s 18,4% more than in 2020. It declares to be the highest number of deaths in the same period since 2006.

The report says that the total amount traffic has grown this year; vehicles’ mileage (VMT) increased by about 173,1 billion miles in the first half of 2021, or about 13%. The projected death rate for the first half of 2021 is 1,34 deaths per 100 million VMTs, up from a projected level of 1,28 deaths per 100 million VMTs in the first half of 2020.

The NHTSA suggests that there also will be an increase in speeding, driving with disabilities and driving without a seat belt in 2021.

“More than 20000 people died on US roads in the first six months of 2021, leaving countless loved ones and relatives behind. We can’t and shouldn’t accept these accidents as part of everyday life in America,” said US Secretary of Transportation Pete Buttigieg.

The US Department of Transportation is currently preparing a new road safety strategy to deal with the growing number of fatal cases on the road.