Traffic Fatalities on the Decline
The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) believes its compiled statistics for the start of 2023 brings some good news for the future of traveling on the road, not just for 4-wheelers, but for trucking as well.
Details
NHTSA estimates that in the first quarter of 2023, there were 9,330 traffic fatalities. In a vacuum this may seem like a lot, but this represents a 3.3% decrease to the same period last year which was 9,645 traffic-related deaths. Additionally, this marks the fourth consecutive quarter of decline in traffic-related deaths on America’s roads.
The COVID-19 pandemic, when people were in their houses due to mandated lockdowns actually caused an increase of traffic casualties. Fewer people on the road made those still traveling more reckless, speeding and doing other driving habits that increased the likelihood of an accident.
“After spiking during the pandemic, traffic deaths have been on a slow but consistent decline for the past year,” said U.S. Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg. “This is an encouraging sign as we work to reverse the rise in roadway deaths, but there is much more work ahead to reinforce this downward trend and make it permanent.”
Beyond the number of total fatalities, drivers are becoming safer on a per mile basis, with the NHTSA estimating that the first quarter of 2022 saw 1.32 deaths per 100 million miles traveled, while the same period in 2023 saw 1.24 for the same distance.
Conclusion
As uplifting as it is to hear news about this statistic decreasing over time, it still has a way to go if the federal government wants to approach its near-impossible goal of zero preventable deaths. When factoring in that these four quarters of continuous decline come after seven consecutive quarters of growth coming off of the global pandemic, there is strong evidence that we still have work to do.
If there is one thing we learned about traffic from the coronavirus pandemic, it is that a little bit of congestion on the highway is good, as it discourages habits that create the most hazardous conditions for lethal collisions such as speeding.
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