Addressing America’s Traffic Safety Crisis – June 2023

The number and rate of traffic fatalities in the U.S. surged starting in 2020, even as the rate of vehicle travel plunged while the nation grappled with the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic. This trend of increasing traffic fatalities continued in 2021, as vehicle travel returned to near pre-pandemic levels. From 2021 to 2022 the number and rate of traffic fatalities in the U.S. decreased slightly, though both measures remain significantly above pre-pandemic levels.

This report documents the increase in traffic fatalities and fatality rates from 2019 to 2022 at the national and state levels, examines causes for this increase, and prescribes a broad, comprehensive approach to reducing traffic fatalities in the U.S.