U.S. traffic deaths reach 43,000, highest in 16 years

As more people returned to the roads last year, around 42,916 people died in traffic accidents in the United States in 2021, the highest number in 16 years, according to data from the Department of Transportation.

Last year, there were 38,824 traffic-related deaths. The 10.5% jump from 2020 to 2021 is the largest percentage increase since the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) began recording traffic fatalities in 1975.

"We face a crisis on America's roadways that we must address together," Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg said in a statement.

Forty-four states, the District and Columbia, and Puerto Rico, saw an increase in traffic fatalities compared to last year. The list was led by Texas, California, and Florida.

Accident fatalities only declined in Wyoming, Nebraska, Wisconsin, Maryland, and Maine. Rhode Island’s figures did not change.

“Our nation has taken a dangerous and deadly step backward in traffic safety and impaired driving,” said MADD National President Alex Otte. “More families and more communities are feeling the crushing magnitude of this crisis on our roads.”

Americans drove 11.2% more than in 2020, or 325 billion more miles, causing almost 118 people to die in crashes every day in the nation.

According to the Governors Highway Safety Association, fatal accidents were caused by reckless behavior, including speeding, driving under the influence, distracted driving, and poorly designed traffic signals.

“An increase in dangerous driving — speeding, distracted driving, drug- and alcohol-impaired driving, not buckling up — during the pandemic, combined with roads designed for speed instead of safety, has wiped out a decade and a half of progress in reducing traffic crashes, injuries and deaths," said Russ Martin, senior director of policy and government relations for the Governors Highway Safety Association.