U.S. roads were a bit safer last year, according initial estimates by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. The federal safety agency projects that 39,345 people died in traffic crashes last year — a 3.8% decline over 2023. Find out more at Headlight.News.
Motor vehicle crashes killed over 39,000 people last year, the fourth straight year of declines and the first time the number was under 40,000.
The new number represents a trend in the U.S., it is the 11th straight quarter that fatalities have fallen. It’s also the first time since 2020 the number is less than 40,000, the agency noted.
“It’s encouraging to see that traffic fatalities are continuing to fall from their COVID pandemic highs. Total road fatalities, however, remain significantly higher than a decade ago, and America’s traffic fatality rate remains high relative to many peer nations,” NHTSA Chief Counsel Peter Simshauser said in a statement.
“To reduce fatalities further, USDOT is working closely to partner with the law enforcement community to enhance traffic enforcement on our roads, including speeding, impairment, distraction, and lack of seatbelt use.”
Safer drivers
To make the numbers more impressive, it’s important to know Americans have been racking up more miles during this downward trend.
Traffic fatalities have fallen 11 consecutive quarters in the U.S.
Preliminary data from the Federal Highway Administration shows vehicle miles traveled increased by 1%, while the fatality rate for 2024 decreased to 1.20 fatalities per 100 million vehicle miles traveled — the lowest since 2019. However, it remains above the average rate of 1.13 in the seven years before COVID.
NHTSA also estimates fatalities decreased in 35 states and Puerto Rico in 2024. That means increases are projected in 14 states and the District of Columbia, while one unnamed state remained unchanged.
There were 1,820 fewer people killed in motor vehicle traffic crashes on U.S. roads during 2023, a 4.3% decrease from 42,721 in 2022 to 40,901 in 2023. It represents the second year-to-year decrease since 2021. The fatality rate per 100 million vehicle miles traveled decreased by 6% from 1.34 in 2022 to 1.26 in 2023.
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More miles
Traffic deaths in the U.S. declined as the number of miles Americans drive continues to rise.
American drivers logged 1% more miles in 2024 than in 2023, and while that number may not seem like much it’s important to know Americans drove 3.28 trillion vehicle-miles last year. According to the Eno Center for Transportation’s Traffic Volume Trends report, this is a return to pre-2004 norms, when driving grew by 2.5% per year.
“At an individual level, using Census Bureau annual July 1 population estimates, VMT per capita in 2024 did not grow at all — 9,641 miles per person in 2024 versus 9,640 miles per person in 2023,” said Jeff Davis, a senior fellow at the Eno Center and editor of the Eno Transportation Weekly. The Eno Center is a nonprofit traffic research and policy organization.
Per capita vehicle miles traveled (VMT) peaked in 2004 at 10,117 miles. The report also notes that the discrepancy between urban and rural total driving was nonexistent in 2024, and “The percentage of total VMT that took place on urban roads stayed the same at 68.9%.”
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