Photo: Wikipedia
It took them some time to compile all the data, but the NHTSA (National Highway Traffic Safety Administration) has recently released their report on traffic fatalities in 2015, which apparently rose quite a lot compared to the previous year.
The U.S. lost 35,092 people in traffic accidents last year, ending a 5-decade trend of declining fatalities with a 7.2% increase in deaths from 2014. NHTSA’s data shows traffic deaths risen across almost every segment of the population. The last single-year increase of a similar magnitude was back in 1966 when fatalities went up 8.1% compared to the previous year.
"Despite decades of safety improvements, far too many people are killed on our nation’s roads every year," said U.S. Transportation Secretary Anthony Foxx. "Solving this problem will take teamwork, so we're issuing a call to action and asking researchers, safety experts, data scientists, and the public to analyze the fatality data and help find ways to prevent these tragedies.”
Sadly, motorcyclist deaths have increased too, with over 8% more compared to 2014. NHTSA notes that human factors continued to contribute to the majority of crashes. For the motorcyclists, lack of equipment, speed, and mistakes from other road users was in the top reasons why the fatalities in this segment rose last year.
According to NHTSA, job growth and lower fuel prices were key factors that encouraged people to drive more in 2015. More drivers on the road also mean there’s a higher chance you’ll cross paths with a distracted one while riding your motorcycle.
"The data tell us that people die when they drive drunk, distracted, or drowsy, or if they are speeding or unbuckled," said NHTSA Administrator, Dr. Mark Rosekind. "While there have been enormous improvements in many of these areas, we need to find new solutions to end traffic fatalities."
So there you go guys, another reason to properly gear up when riding, keep your machine within the speed limits and keep your eyes peeled for dumb drivers.
"Despite decades of safety improvements, far too many people are killed on our nation’s roads every year," said U.S. Transportation Secretary Anthony Foxx. "Solving this problem will take teamwork, so we're issuing a call to action and asking researchers, safety experts, data scientists, and the public to analyze the fatality data and help find ways to prevent these tragedies.”
Sadly, motorcyclist deaths have increased too, with over 8% more compared to 2014. NHTSA notes that human factors continued to contribute to the majority of crashes. For the motorcyclists, lack of equipment, speed, and mistakes from other road users was in the top reasons why the fatalities in this segment rose last year.
According to NHTSA, job growth and lower fuel prices were key factors that encouraged people to drive more in 2015. More drivers on the road also mean there’s a higher chance you’ll cross paths with a distracted one while riding your motorcycle.
"The data tell us that people die when they drive drunk, distracted, or drowsy, or if they are speeding or unbuckled," said NHTSA Administrator, Dr. Mark Rosekind. "While there have been enormous improvements in many of these areas, we need to find new solutions to end traffic fatalities."
So there you go guys, another reason to properly gear up when riding, keep your machine within the speed limits and keep your eyes peeled for dumb drivers.
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