Road Fatality Increase in First Half of 2021

In an October 28, 2021 post to their homepage, The U.S. Department of Transportation’s National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (“NHSTA”) released a study that indicated an estimated 20,160 people died in motor vehicle crashes in the first half of 2021, up 18.4% over 2020. That’s the largest number of projected fatalities in that time period since 2006!

Dr. Steven Cliff from the NHSTA said that the report is a reminder of what hundreds of millions of people can do every day, right now, to combat this: Slow down, wear seat belts, drive sober, and avoid distractions behind the wheel.

Citing the aforementioned study the article indicates that preliminary data from the Federal Highway Administration show that vehicle miles traveled in the first half of 2021 increased by about 173.1 billion miles, or about 13%. The fatality rate for the first half of 2021 increased to 1.34 fatalities per 100 million VMT, up from the projected rate of 1.28 fatalities per 100 million VMT in the first half of 2020.

In line with Dr. Cliff’s recommendations to combat unsafe driving, the USDOT is developing a strategy that will be rooted in the Safe System Approach principles and identifies significant actions the Department will take to help ensure: Safer People, Safer Roads, Safer Vehicles, Safer Speeds, and Post-Crash Care. The strategy will focus on new priorities that target our most significant and urgent problems, and are expected to have the most substantial impact.  (See full article at https://www.nhtsa.gov/press-releases/usdot-releases-new-data-showing-road-fatalities-spiked-first-half-2021)

If you have been injured in a car, truck or motorcycle accident, contact an expert attorney at O’Malley & Perry Law today.