The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) reported that traffic deaths in the United States fell 6.7% to 36,640 last year, bringing the fatality rate down to 1.10 deaths per 100 million vehicle miles traveled, the agency said. That rate is the second-lowest in U.S. history and the total number of fatalities is the lowest since 2019.
The data follow a sharp rise in U.S. road deaths during the COVID-19 pandemic. Fatalities spiked 10.8% in 2021, reaching 43,230 - the largest single-year increase since 2005. During that period, pedestrians and cyclists killed on American roads rose to their highest levels in more than four decades.
Jonathan Morrison, who leads the U.S. auto safety agency, said the agency is "doubling down on safety strategies that reduce risky driving behaviors before they cost lives." That backing of targeted safety measures accompanies a broader downward trend: this is the fourth straight year of declines. The NHTSA noted that traffic deaths fell 3.8% in 2024 to below 40,000 for the first time since 2020.
Experts have linked part of the pandemic-era rise in fatalities to changes in road conditions and driver behavior. As roads became less crowded during the pandemic, some motorists perceived police as less likely to issue citations, a perception that contributed to riskier driving behavior, according to the assessment cited by the agency. Separately, some drivers were more likely to operate vehicles while impaired by alcohol or drugs consumed at home during the pandemic.
The U.S. fatality rate climbed to levels well above those of other developed nations during the pandemic years, the NHTSA said, underscoring the scale of the problem at its peak even as recent years have seen improvement.
On the policy side, Congress authorized $5 billion over five years as part of the 2021 infrastructure law, which totaled $1 trillion, to address road safety concerns. That federal investment is aimed at supporting measures designed to reduce crashes and fatalities.
Separately, a 2023 NHTSA study quantified the economic burden of crashes. The study estimated that crashes directly cost taxpayers $30 billion and imposed $340 billion in costs on society more broadly. When quality-of-life valuations were included, the total societal cost rose to $1.37 trillion, an amount the study equated to 1.6% of U.S. economic output.
While last year’s figures mark a significant decline from the pandemic-era peak, the agency and other observers emphasize continued attention to behaviors and policies that contribute to fatalities, alongside federal funding intended to support road safety improvements.