NHTSA: Nearly 43K people killed on U.S. roads last year, highest number in 16 years

Around 43,000 people were killed on U.S. roads in 2021, the highest number in 16 years, according to officials.

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The Associated Press says about 42,915 people died in traffic crashes in 2021. The numbers from last year remain preliminary and the final numbers will be released in the fall. In 2020, was it was 38,824 people died in traffic crashes.

There was a 10.5% jump last year in deadly crashes compared to 2020, the largest percentage increase since the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration started collecting data in 1975, according to the AP. The cause of the increase is possibly due to Americans returning to the roadways to commute for work, run errands or go on trips following the COVID-19 pandemic. Last year, Americans drove around 325 billion miles. That was 11.2% higher than 2020.

“This crisis on our roads is urgent and preventable. We will redouble our safety efforts, and we need everyone – state and local governments, safety advocates, automakers, and drivers – to join us. All of our lives depend on it,” said Dr. Steven Cliff, NHTSA’s Deputy Administrator, in a press release from NHTSA.

NHTSA says other deaths in different categories are up as well. Pedestrian deaths are up 13%, motorcyclist deaths are up 9%, deadly crashes involving divers 65 years and older are up 14%, and alcohol impairment-involved crashes are up 5%, to name a few.

On Monday, according to the AP, Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg announced that $5 billion will be sent to cities for safety as the number of road deaths continues to rise. The money would go towards making better bike paths and wider sidewalks, encouraging more people to use public transit, and other initiatives.

“We face a crisis on America’s roadways that we must address together. With our National Roadway Safety Strategy and the President’s Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, we are taking critical steps to help reverse this devastating trend and save lives on our roadways,” said Buttigieg, in a press release from NHTSA.

There will also be a national strategy behind the plan to reverse the trend of rising road-related deaths, which was revealed earlier in the year as part of President Biden’s new infrastructure law. Buttigieg says his department will provide federal guidance and billions of dollars in grants to help states and local governments. The AP says Buttigieg’s department is opening the first round of applications for his program which will be spent over the next five years. During that time, officials are hoping that the number of crashes and death will be reduced.

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